An organization that advocates for people living with HIV has revealed that burial sites at Lusaka’s Memorial Park are now costing more than K100,000 per plot.
In a statement, the Treatment Advocacy Literary Campaign says paying more than a K100,000 Kwacha (100 Million old currency) to bury friends and relatives is unacceptable, immoral and lacks human humility which is supposed to be shown at times of bereavement.
TALC National Director Felix Mwanza has since called on Lands Minister Jean Kapata to intervene in the matter.
Mr Mwanza stated that if Ms. Kapata cannot act on this, then President Edgar Lungu should come in and serve the people from what he called unAfrican way of living.
“We are mindful of the fact that this may be misunderstood but when Countries elsewhere are considering theirs as first why should we not? Those in positions of influence, power and the propensity to pay for these burial sites should not allow this divide to continue. This is inequality of the highest order and prosperity will judge mother Zambia harshly,” he stated.
“As an organisation that is for People Living with HIV Infection and Recipients of Care in in Zambia, our hope is that should any one of us and indeed any other Zambian citizen pass on they deserve a dignified burial and rest place and Memorial Park should not be an exception because of its inhuman and exorbitant fees. Can someone charged with this responsibility come to the aid of Zambians please?”
He added ,”As an organisation whose members are most likely to be victims of mortality statistics in due cause, we have on behalf of many citizens and sundry observed with grief of pain the lack of moral disposition on the part of those running the lucrative memorial park, a private burial site here in Lusaka.
“While we understand that this is private property and the owners are entitled to do anything with their land as they have title to it, we shudder with the exorbitant fees the private firm is charging to mourning and grieving citizens of this Country.”
He added, “We are aware that these properties or land in question were given to their ancestors at almost nothing in terms of fees that were paid to the treasury of the government but over time the land in in question has appreciated and this cannot be an excuse for Zambians to be paying over K7,500 for a slot and this may even go over 20,000 if other surcharges are taken into consideration for our young beloved ones under
the age of 10 years.”
“God forbid! This is our Country, and the ancestors of the these administrators who have inherited the land and they are many not only the
memorial park owners were preview of the value of land where they were coming from due to its scarcity an idea which our leaders unfortunately were naïve to!”
Mr Mwanza said the organization is certain that freedom fighters are turning in their graves to see how the poor Zambian is being made to pay for a burial site which in essence is supposed to be an entitlement but because of docility, the country has allowed this abomination to go on.
“This ‘madness’ should be stopped forthwith and if people cannot see the moral decay and deprivation of what is happening at Memorial Park here in Lusaka then they must be certainly be living out of this World.”
He said “We, therefore, call upon the Minister of Lands who happens to be a very close ally of ours as we have been in the same trenches during her time in the opposition to prevail on this matter and halt all these nonsensical fees that we are being subjected to bury our beloved ones in in our own land. This is our Country and no amount of explanation will suffice to explain this absurdity.”
unAfrican? Things have changed boss. Apparently people have figured out that the African way of doing things is bad for the country and business.
Memorial Park is a business just like any other, being in business of providing burial plot doesn’t mean they should run it a less profit. It’s the extra amenities (whatever those are) they provide to the dead that the living friends and relatives pay for when choosing a burial plot. Do you know that there is even prime location in their?
Anyhow Miles promised us high rise burial places, no one will want to bury their relative/friend in Memorial Park grounds anymore.
As for now, if Lusaka burial plots are too expensive we may need to start burying our dead in our traditional homelands, yes Kamunzi, and that’s the true African way.
Why complain. Bury your dad somewhere else. It’s only in Africa where you bury the dead in style leaving children and spouses to suffer. Let $tupid brain dead f00ls spend that astronomical figure on a deceased person.
Simple if you don’t want to pay, don’t die! And the K100 000 is a gross misrepresentation. We recently buried an uncle there (MHSRP) for less than 10% of above figure. K100 000 could probably be a price for those that want to secure multiple graves (10 graves) for their families
I can’t understand…
You mean a grave is costing more than a house?
The mines are more powerful than Lungu. He is helpless.-Kabimba. Has he stopped ukudoda Masebo?
HH is the richest man ever in Zambia wit a net worth of $5bn, so what?
A lady at BOZ arranging bedroom activity with another man, Just leave them!
Burial sites at Memorial Park now costing more than K100,000-TALC. Spending on the dead guys?
As if life was not expensive enough, now people can’t even afford a burial place..
Govt collecting taxes from the dead so that they pay their potion of these unaudited Chinese loans.
Selling a burial site for a fortune while the living people stay in poverty stricken places fit for pigs.
That’s life and it’s good for his business, so how does that affect you and how does that make people stay in poverty stricken places . The have and the have notes have there own places they belong to. Keep your lane and things will be good.
No one is forced to bury their relatives at memorial park. You simply bury where you can afford. After all, all of us will go to where we all came from, the earth(soil).I have seen some fenced off burial spaces there at memorial park. Some people have already bought their burial plots
LHMP is a business and a private one for that matter, Govt has enough burial land provided through the council. If one can not afford the private burial there is a cheaper alternative through the council. Let’s not pull down other Zambians businesses. Moreover K 100,000 is the most expensive plot with cheaper options available on site. Such behavior should have remained in 2018. LHMP guys keep doing your thing and don’t be distracted by haters
We all know that the memorial park guys are doing business. However their prices for the business must be reasonable. No one does not want to bury their loved ones at memorial park. K100000 is too much for a burial place. God forbid this nonsense.
“While we understand that this is private property and the owners are entitled to do anything with their land as they have title to it…”
Really, you “understand” that? It sounds more like TALC National Director Felix Mwanza does NOT understand.
Better I’m sure for TALC would be for Mr. Mwanza to get over it and find something more useful to advocate for than cheap access to a high-end private cemetery. It’s not like there aren’t other issues worth fighting for on the HIV/AIDS front. Why does Mr. Mwanza waste his energy on this?
He should either take it or leave it. Where I leave one section of the cemetery costs K5,000 per hole and the other goes at a mere K20 per hole. Surprisingly people opt for former. Personally I don’t see any difference apart from those decorated tomb stones.
Kkkkkk…..some reasoning, no bwino bwino mu mutwe….
The problem is that there is no proper regulation in the country, Soon they will start charging you to enter the site to visit and put flowers on the graves of your relatives. This business is extremely demanding too much from the mourners. I hope that the Taxman will equally move in to charge the business more taxes. On the other hand, it is high time the council organized new burial sites that can be afordable for the majority sufferers who hardly earn K100,000 in a year. Everything is just getting too exaggerated in the country, tuzayamba chabe kushoka manje!
I thought Memorial Park was a private cemetery? Also why should one spend so much on getting rid of a dead body? The site where we had Muzdabwera grave yard in Chingola is now part of Nchanga Open Pit so imagine if you had spent K100,000 for a hole at that site. …gone with copper ore. Anyway Zambians like to show off. That money can be used to send children to school.
Kalan nchima if it is true tha was fired from prime TV then forget watching your station.i stopped watching muvi TV because of poor entertainment and poor news.
Kalan nchima if it is true that was fired from prime TV then forget watching your station.i stopped watching muvi TV because of poor entertainment and poor news.
MAINTENANCE OF CEMETERIES IS COSTLY….EVERYONE EXCLUDING THE DECEASED IS CALLING FOR DECENT WAGE.
Tiyopa ku mwalila manje. Cremation is the future, use the spot of land I’d take up to grow some cabbage and feed rabbits.
mutengo wa plot koma sevintu
What of Bank of Zambia that decollated a tree for K370,000 leaving a person they have used as a souvenir on their notes in poverty? Burial sites are now very expensive than a house. The best is to cremate. Moreover, it is a corpse that knows nothing. People should not forget the issue of Bank of Zambia that decollated a mere tree at the expense of giving money to the underprivileged. Zambia, as a nation, lucks priorities.
That is a private land which was almost repossessed by government as idle land. What did you expect the owners to start doing with land in the graveyard, build a Shopping Mall? Those that can not afford can either bury their dead at there Farms or Chingwere. It is not mandatory to bury the dead at memorial park. TALC should be advocating for better this like cremation that does not need any land wasted.
Some advice save that K100,000. Buy a house and when you die just get buried there
this is a reap off, look at our countrires cemeteries they are not well looked after or even maintained. The dead where once among us , does not mean even though they not with us we shouldn’t respect them. K100,000 to bury someone while those without clothes or shelter are not supported. this is like saying lets kill the nation to pay our debts back.
Cremate yourselves yama..
When your organization is not doing well and you decide to get involved nd be heard by speaking in other people’s business. If u can’t afford go to chigwenle