Buhle Mhlaulo
The City of Gweru is proposing a fee increase in its 2025 budget that would see an adult paying USD$200 up from $52, children $100 from $26 and a stillborn child $100 from $20.80 for a grave at the city’s three cemeteries.
Council acting director of finance Michael Verenga says the increase is necessary to enable the local authority to maintain its cemeteries properly.
The City of Gweru unveiled a whooping increase in its budget from USD43 million in 2024 to USD54.9 million in 2025.
Guided by the budget theme “Consolidating Gains, Bridging Gaps, and Preparing for Sustainable Growth,” the council aims to position itself as a “sustainable Prosperous City of Choice in 2030.
Mr Verenga said that the budget focuses on improving service delivery, addressing critical needs, and uplifting the community’s well-being.
Despite these efforts, residents are infuriated with the proposed fee increases. For instance, the weekly burial fees town area have risen from USD52 to USD200.
“I want to ask if it is now a crime to bury our loved ones because these fees are too high and unreasonable to every resident. The stillborn child who is buried at USD21 has increased to USD100. It now seems like a crime to have a stillborn.”