/ 24 July 2001

ZIMBABWE FACES GRAVE CRISIS

FACED with a crisis situation in which grief-stricken mourners were being asked to dig graves for their dead relatives because of a strike by grave-diggers, the Harare City Council yesterday engaged casual workers. The council also enlisted 18 members of the municipal police to assist the casual workers to dig graves at Granville Cemetery in southern Harare to ease congestion. The grave-diggers downed their tools on Saturday over a pay dispute with the Council. Granville cemetery is now congested due to the high rate of deaths linked to the HIV/Aids virus that is claiming at least 2_000 people a week. – The Daily News

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