By Nobleman Runyanga
Harare residents have sharply criticised the MDC-dominated City of Harare for prioritising a luxury cemetery project at Warren Hills at the expense of service delivery.
This came to the fore when the municipality announced the project on its Facebook page yesterday.
The project, the Warren Hills Executive Memorial Park, is a joint venture between the municipality and Swaszy Granites which is owned by one Onias Chagaresango.
According to the municipality, under the joint venture Swaszy Granites is “constructing over 3000 tamper proof executive graves that match international standards.
“The coffin will be laid on granite stone while the top cover will also be in granite.
Council collects burial fees to allow for the interment of the grave owners. The graves will have cemetery management software connected to the GPRS to monitor and locate the graves over the computer,” said Chagaresango.
“(The municipality prioritises) graves while people don't have houses, don't have stands, your workers (are) not getting salaries. Most of them don't have houses and (are) still renting. What's so special about graves whilst your employees are suffering? Stop this madness and meet the needs of your employees and the residents who don't have houses and stands,” fumed Rosemary Rumbidzayi Mukoyi.
“Please concentrate on better service delivery before building fancy graves. Water delivery is a messy. Sewerage system is in shambles. People don’t even have decent housing. Care for us tiri vapenyu (while we’re still alive) first!!” responded Mambo Mapanzure.
“There are things to focus on (such as) electricity and sewer. People need land for houses. Go to Matapi you will realise that there is a need for (a) new sewage system. People are living (an) unhealthy life. Can we focus on death seriously? GPRS yekuona mugrave? It won't work. Mufi (chii) chaachaziva? Does it help the dead?” questioned Alfred Mandundu.
Some residents even questioned how the City of Harare had entered into the deal with Swaszy Granite without disclosing the details of the joint venture.
“I think there needs to be a way of also informing us when you put some of these things to tender (that is kana zvakatomboenda) than to just come here and let us know that you have given your friends jobs so they make money and you also benefit,” said Wellie Matsangaise.
Other residents pointed out the link between poor service delivery in some cities and towns and the dominance of the MDC in their councils.
“(So) this is your response to the water crisis? MDC-run council (you are) carrying on like this?” queried Darlington Farai Gwatidzo.
The project comes as a surprise to many residents since the Warren Hills graveyard was closed for further burials citing lack of land for expansion. The opaque nature of the joint venture brings to the fore the way most of the MDC-dominated urban local authorities operate. They prioritise self-enrichment at the expense of service provision.
