GRAVES INVADED: developers throw tombstones, build houses
Written by Millennium on April 15, 2020
LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes
IN AN act that defies common decency, some overzealous people have thrown away respect for the dead and have invaded the grave yard in Mpika district in Muchinga Province uprooting tombstones and building houses.
Mpika District Commissioner (DC) Moses Katebe said in an interview some residents had encroached on the burial site with impunity.
Mr Katebe said it was disappointing that some residents could move in and encroach on the old graveyard for residential expansion with impunity.
He said cemeteries were sacred areas which should not be interfered with. Residents should respect the dead.
Mr Katebe warned the land developers to immediately stop their activities because it is illegal to encroach on land meant for burying people.
He said a new gravesite had been found for the residents of Mpika to bury their loved ones because the old one was full.
Mr Katebe said the new burial site was found after the old one which is located in the central business district (CBD) was filled to capacity.
“Mpika district has identified a new gravesite because the old one is full. The process is in the hands of the council to formalize everything the old one has been operational for many years. It existed before Mpika district was created,” Mr Katebe said.
