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BCC creates 100,000 graves
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Bulawayo City Council has allocated an additional 54 hectares of land for the expansion of Luveve Cemetery, a move expected to accommodate up to 100,000 graves amid a growing shortage of burial space in the city.
The local authority is currently relying on Luveve Extension and Umvutsha cemeteries, both of which are rapidly reaching capacity.
According to the council's weekly newsletter MasiyePhambili, Director of Town Planning Wisdom Siziba said the new site, located north of the existing Luveve Cemetery Extension 1 and stretching southwards past the crematorium, was included in the City's Master Plan.
"The Town Planning Department provided for these sites in terms of the Master Plan. The land is owned by the City of Bulawayo and is expected to provide 100,000 graves," Mr Siziba said.
He added that the move fulfills the council's mandate to provide adequate burial space for the growing population, noting that burial remains the preferred method of interment as cremation is not widely practiced.
The council also plans to construct approximately 2km of access road to the new cemetery. Mr Siziba explained that the current route through unformed roads required upgrading to accommodate increased traffic.
"Access from the city centre is through Luveve Road onto Intemba Road, then left onto Gwabalanda Drive, passing the old cemetery and crematorium. These roads, particularly Gwabalanda Drive, need rehabilitation to support increased volumes of traffic," he said.
The new cemetery site, officially Stand 10365 Luveve, was approved during a full council sitting on 3 September. The land will now be handed over to the Health Services Department for gazetting, with a prospectus to be submitted to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) in line with regulatory requirements.
The local authority is currently relying on Luveve Extension and Umvutsha cemeteries, both of which are rapidly reaching capacity.
According to the council's weekly newsletter MasiyePhambili, Director of Town Planning Wisdom Siziba said the new site, located north of the existing Luveve Cemetery Extension 1 and stretching southwards past the crematorium, was included in the City's Master Plan.
"The Town Planning Department provided for these sites in terms of the Master Plan. The land is owned by the City of Bulawayo and is expected to provide 100,000 graves," Mr Siziba said.
He added that the move fulfills the council's mandate to provide adequate burial space for the growing population, noting that burial remains the preferred method of interment as cremation is not widely practiced.
The council also plans to construct approximately 2km of access road to the new cemetery. Mr Siziba explained that the current route through unformed roads required upgrading to accommodate increased traffic.
"Access from the city centre is through Luveve Road onto Intemba Road, then left onto Gwabalanda Drive, passing the old cemetery and crematorium. These roads, particularly Gwabalanda Drive, need rehabilitation to support increased volumes of traffic," he said.
The new cemetery site, officially Stand 10365 Luveve, was approved during a full council sitting on 3 September. The land will now be handed over to the Health Services Department for gazetting, with a prospectus to be submitted to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) in line with regulatory requirements.
Source - The Chronicle
