HEAVY rains which are currently pounding Gweru have
overwhelmed the city’s cemeteries where de-watering of graves has become a
nightmare.
The revelations came out at a full council meeting held at
Town House yesterday. Ward 11 councillor, Albert Chirau implored city
management to urgently address the problem saying council workers and bereaved
families were facing serious challenges when burying their loved ones.
“The problem that we are facing is that council is still
us
ing manual means to dig graves. Due to the rains, graves are being submerged.
We do not have equipment to deal with the crisis,” he said.
“We have some chemicals that will be in the water and grave
diggers use bare hands to dewater the graves. That situation exposes our
workers to diseases,” added Chirau.
Councillor Trust Chineni weighed in saying some families
were de-watering the graves on their own due to manpower shortages at the
cemeteries.
“I saw some families using buckets to de-water graves
manually. It does not augur well. Council needs to get modern machinery to deal
with the problem,” he said. Mayor Josiah Makombe promised that council would swiftly
deal with the problem.
“We are in the process of formulating the 2020 budget. Such
a critical item of expenditure will need to be included. I understand we only
have one machine for de-watering graves, but our cemeteries are many. Council
will take measures to address that situation,” he said. Last week council was
found wanting after the rains also submerged the city’s drainage system, with
motorists struggling to drive around town. Newsday
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