HOME Affairs ministry says it is strictly guided by the relevant legislation and traditional customs deserving to protect all ancestral places of value.
The ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, responded to a social media allegation that graves were being destroyed and authorities had not consulted chiefs before starting the Mt Hampden Cyber City Development Project.
This is where the New Parliament Building has been constructed with business moving from Harare’s CBD Old Parliament building to the new cyber city.
Despite the good gesture in expanding the city, some people are concerned with the graves of their loved ones in the area, once a farming area with several graves scattered in the area.
One Eugene Majuru wrote on X this week complaining that the government had disregarded the traditional norms by failing to consult Chiefs in the area on how to deal with the graves issue.
Majuru alleged no consultations were done with traditional leaders, particularly of the Mbari Clan.
However, the Ministry dismissed Majuru.
“The ministry has noted with concern a social media article attributed to one Mr Eugene Majuru alleging that graves are being destroyed in the Mt. Hampden area to pave way for the Cyber City Development Project.
“In the same article, Mr Majuru alleges that no consultations were done with traditional leaders, particularly of the Mbari Clan.
“The ministry wishes to advise the public and all the concerned stakeholders that wide consultations have been conducted with all parties concerned and some are still ongoing,” part of the statement read.
Further, the ministry said it was strictly guided by the relevant legislation and traditional customs deserving of such a process.
“For the record, all ancient graves are protected by both National Museums and Monument of Zimbabwe Act Chapter 25:11 and recent graves by the Cemeteries Act Chapter 5:04.
“The two acts complement each other legally in the protection of such ancestral places of value.
“Any person who wantonly or willfully destroys or does or cause to be done any damage, defacement or disfigurement to any monument, vault, tombstone or grave whether within or without a cemetery, or to any building, erection, railing, fence, tree, shrub, plant, thing or natural object, adjoining, connected with or relating to any such monument, vault, tombstone, or grave, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level five or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment.”
It highlighted that the cemetery in question was mostly composed of remains of former farm workers adding that the majority of graves are known and their relatives have come forward to identify them.
“The Mount Hampden area falls under Chief Zvimba whom the ministry through NMMZ has again fully consulted.
“Whereas the ministry acknowledges the historical existence of claims of other clans who inhabited the Greater Harare area such as Mbari, Gutsa, Hwata and others, their legal and traditional status rests with other government departments and cannot be the subject of the current project,” added the Ministry.
The Ministry has urged developers to stop once they encounter such and engage an archaeologist or curator of cemeteries on the appropriate action such as exhumation to pave the way for works to continue. – NewZim
