Goshen Housing Consortium has applied to Harare city council seeking authority to turn a grave yard at Glen Eagles Farm in Budiriro into a residential area.
The housing cooperative, which flighted advertisements this week, is inviting residents whose relatives were buried at the site to exhume and rebury their remains at other sites.
Part of the notice reads: Notice is hereby given that Goshen Housing Consortium has made an application to Harare City Council to undertake the removal of human remains from the remainder of Glen Eagles Farm, Budiriro Township, to facilitate development of residential stands.
Councils curator of cemeteries Gilbert Munetsi confirmed the development yesterday and said residents with objections could visit council offices.
The land is marked for development and there are long-time graves that may lead to exhumation of human remains for reburial at other designated areas, said Munetsi.
Harare town clerk Tendai Mahachi could not be reached for comment as he was said to be in a meeting, while council spokesperson Leslie Gwindi professed ignorance over the matter.
This could be a test case in Zimbabwe where it is considered taboo to build houses over a gravesite or to exhume human remains to pave way for the construction of houses.
Several local authorities are reportedly running out of burial space and are on record urging residents to consider cremation as an option although the practice is not popular under African culture.
