Zimbabwean News You Can Trust
The government has advised members of the public that the graves surrounding Mt Hampden area, where the Cyber City development project is ongoing, are safe.
This comes after Social Media reports that graves are being destroyed without the consultation of traditional leaders.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage said Government has engaged with the traditional leaders of the area to ensure that the graves won’t be affected by the works, adding that exhumation would be conducted if the situation demands it.
“As this project is being undertaken, developers have been made aware that should any grave be discovered during construction, the developer should stop and engage an archeologist or curator of cemeteries who is qualified to categorize the graves and advise on the appropriate action, such as exhumation, to pave the way for the works to continue,” reads the statement.
The Ministry also warned the public to shy away from spreading falsehoods on social media, saying that Government would provide details on those that require exhumation and reburial.
“While the Ministry of Home Affairs recognizes that it is a constitutional right of every stakeholder to raise issues of concern about development, these should be factual and not based on hearsay. The Ministry remains available for clarification regarding exhumations and reburials of those buried in Mt Hampden,” said the Government.
Currently, 47 farms in Mashonaland east and Mashonaland central have been earmarked for the development of the new capital city, where work of core infrastructure including roads, electricity, water and telecommunications has begun.
Most of the key infrastructure is expected to be in place when Zimbabwe hosts the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in August at the new parliament building in Mt Hampden.