BULAWAYO residents have said cleaning of Hyde Park Cemetery is not enough, adding that it needed to be fenced to keep away people who litter the area.
After an outcry from residents, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) sent workers to clear the garbage in the cemetery, which is located in the Pelandaba West area, but that, however, was not to the satisfaction of the residents.
Ward 14 councillor Dumisani Netha urged residents to respect the dead, adding that a fence was needed to stop people from turning the cemetery into an illegal dumpsite or passing through it.
“It is up to us as council to take a step and put a fence there as residents are not happy at all about the garbage being dumped inside the cemetery. Clearing it is not enough because the illegal dumpers will come back and do the same thing over and over again,” Netha told Southern Eye.
“If it were your own parents and you see people walking over their graves, I’m sure that would not sit well with you. Look at the West Park Cemetery and see how well respected it is.”
Netha said cemetery fencing was not included in the 2025 budget, adding that the issue needed to be taken up with the Health and Housing Committee.
Bulawayo Residents Association chairperson Winos Dube said the cleaning of the cemetery was a welcome move, but residents expected the place to be protected.
“The dead must be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, so there must be some sort of protection either a fence or if resources permit, a strong concrete wall,” he said.