By Talkmore F Mapfumo
The Epworth Local Board (ELB) has revealed that it has run out of cemetery space, forcing residents to bury their loved ones at cemeteries administered by the Harare City Council and Chitungwiza Municipality.
Appearing before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Local Government, ELB Housing and Estates Manager Dennis Muranduri said the local authority no longer has available burial land, leaving residents with no option but to use Tafara Cemetery or the privately operated Zororo Memorial Park.
“Epworth residents are having to move to Tafara Cemetery or Zororo Cemetery to bury their loved ones because the council has run out of land for burials,” Muranduri told the committee.
He said the local board had identified land for a new cemetery through its master plan, but delays in obtaining approval had stalled implementation.
“We have identified places to address this through the town master plan. However, approval has taken longer than expected, forcing residents to rely on alternatives such as Zororo and Tafara cemeteries,” he said.
Muranduri said the situation has become a heavy financial burden for many Epworth residents, most of whom are low-income earners.
“Burying relatives at Zororo and Tafara is expensive. Families are also forced to travel long distances to conduct burials, creating additional transport costs and logistical challenges at a time when they are already grieving,” he said.
Epworth currently has two designated burial sites Chiremba Cemetery and Zinyengere Cemetery.
Chiremba Cemetery is a small burial ground that has been in use since the pre-independence era and has since reached full capacity. This prompted the opening of Zinyengere Cemetery, located between Glenwood and Domboramwari.
However, Zinyengere Cemetery is also facing significant challenges.
The cemetery has no clearly demarcated physical boundaries, allowing illegal settlers to encroach onto the land.
The encroachment has resulted in conflicts between residential occupation and burial activities, further complicating the management of the cemetery and highlighting the urgent need for a new, properly planned burial site for the growing Epworth community.