12 Mar 2013

Francistown City Council (FCC) clerk, Mr Charles Amos has said although there is a challenge of insufficient cemeteries, they have never faced a situation where a body was not buried because of lack of space.

In an interview, Mr Amos said cemeteries in Monarch Phase IV catered for the monthly quota of between 30-40 graves.

He explained that the cemetery was previously closed and the current burials for adult persons were done through infilling, while children were buried at the old Gerald Estate cemetery.

“The depth of a child grave and that of an adult are not the same, that is why children are still catered for at Gerald Estate,” he said.

Mr Amos said the few available spaces could cater for the city population but due to the proximity of the city to other countries, they ended up having to cater for foreign nationals.

He said the city had a provision of over 10 hectares of land for cemeteries but only 10 people had been buried before a problem of hard bedrock was realised.

Furthermore, Mr Amos said FCC had since engaged Tati Land Board in view of acquiring land.

He expressed hope that in the next sitting of the Tati Land Board, the city’s application would be assessed. He said they were eyeing Matsiloje, Matshelagabedi and Tati Siding as possible areas for the cemetery.

Mr Amos encouraged residents of Francistown, who originated from the villages in the peripheries of the city to bury their loved ones at their respective villages of origin, to curb the problem of land shortage for cemeteries.

“Even if we get another piece of land, the solution will be temporary and there is need for people to consider alternative ways such as cremation,” he said.ENDS