Dickson Jere Sounds Alarm Over “Grave Mistake” at Lusaka’s Chingwele Cemetery, Suggests Encouraging Cremation

Lusaka Lawyer Dickson Jere has reported witnessing the sale of new graves on top of existing ones at Lusaka’s Old Chingwere Cemetery.

In a public post on his facebook page, Mr.Jere said he attended several burials at the cemetery in recent weeks and described the situation as “heartbreaking.” He claimed that local authorities are “selling burial graves on top of existing ones.”

“All old graves have been turned into new graves by digging 3 feet on top of the old 6 feet graves,” Jere stated. “It is chaotic!”

He reported that tombstones have been destroyed and that graves from the 1980s have been desecrated to make way for new burial sites. Jere also issued a warning about the environmental consequences, noting the approaching rainy season.

“What this means is that these shallow graves will be flooded and dead bodies washed away,” he said. “This is very dangerous especially to communities living few metres away.”

Mr. Jere called for the Ministry of Local Government and the Lusaka City Council to “engage urgently and find a lasting solution to the crisis.” He acknowledged that the council has struggled to find new burial grounds as land is now in private hands and costly.

Proposing a solution, Jere referenced multi-storey burial buildings he observed in Israel and Brazil.

“Each floor [has] well maintained graves,” he said. “They import soils to create ‘from soil to soil’ on each floor. So, why can’t we start building multi-storey grave sites like Israel and Brazil have done?”

He also suggested encouraging cremation, while noting “it is not part of our culture.”