Bulawayo councillors call for digitalisation of cemeteries

Gibson Mhakam [email protected]

BULAWAYO councillors have called for the digitalisation of the city’s cemeteries to make it easier for families to locate the graves of their loved ones and safeguard historical burial records.

The issue was raised by Councillor Perseverance Nyathi during a recent council meeting, where she said the city should embrace technology to improve cemetery management and preserve burial information for future generations.

Cllr Nyathi said families searching for graves, particularly those of relatives buried many years ago, sometimes face difficulties because of ageing or hard-to-retrieve records and the size of some cemeteries.

She proposed the development of a digital cemetery management system that would allow residents to easily access information about burial sites and locate the graves of their loved ones.

“I rise today to bring to council an issue that touches every family member in our city, the dignity of our departed and the ability of families to locate the final resting places of their loved ones,” she said.

“I’m talking about digitalising our cemeteries. As we embrace technology and move towards a more digitally enabled city, I believe our cemeteries should not be left behind.”

Cllr Nyathi said the proposed system would be particularly useful for families whose relatives were buried decades ago, when burial records were largely maintained manually.

“Imagine a family whose loved one was buried many years ago. They come to the council looking for the grave, but because the records may be old, difficult to retrieve, or the cemetery itself is large, finding that particular grave can become a more painful and frustrating experience,” she said.

She said technology could provide a solution by creating an easily accessible database containing burial records and grave locations.

“Technology can change this. We should embrace technology by developing a digital cemetery management system, a grave location system whereby families, when they need to locate their loved ones, can easily access that information,” she said.

According to Cllr Nyathi, digitalisation would also strengthen council’s record-keeping systems and help preserve the city’s institutional memory.

She said historical burial records were vulnerable to being lost, damaged or deteriorating over time, making digitisation an important preservation measure.

“Digitalising our historical burial records would reduce the risk of records being lost, damaged or deteriorating over time,” she said.

The proposal comes as local authorities across the country increasingly explore the use of technology to improve service delivery, record keeping and access to municipal services.

For Bulawayo, a digital cemetery management system could potentially provide families with a quicker and more convenient way of obtaining burial information without having to rely entirely on physical records or extensive searches at cemeteries.

Such a system could also assist council officials in maintaining accurate records of burial sites and managing cemetery space more efficiently.

Beyond cemetery management, Cllr Nyathi also raised concern over what she described as inconsistent signage infrastructure across the city.

She said the proliferation of signage posts of different sizes, shapes, heights and designs was increasingly affecting the orderly appearance of Bulawayo.

“I rise to raise a concern regarding the increasing number of signage posts of different sizes, shapes, heights and designs that we are seeing across the city of Bulawayo,” she said.

Cllr Nyathi said she had observed what appeared to be inconsistencies in the design and installation of signage infrastructure while travelling around the city. “As I travel around the city, I’ve observed that our signage infrastructure appears increasingly inconsistent.

“We have posts of different dimensions and designs, and in some instances signage is put up in ways that do not seem to contribute to the orderly and attractive appearance of our city,” she said.

She questioned whether the city had a clearly defined and consistently enforced standard governing signage posts.

“Do we have a clear and consistently enforced standard governing the signage posts within the city of Bulawayo?” she asked.

Cllr Nyathi said Bulawayo had a reputation for orderliness and a well-planned urban environment, which should be reflected in the way signage was installed and maintained.

She called for the city to strengthen its signage standards to ensure that advertising and directional signs complemented rather than contributed to visual clutter.

“Signage should enhance our city rather than contribute to visual clutter,” she said.

She proposed a comprehensive signage standard covering the dimensions, materials, colours, positioning and maintenance of signage posts.

The concerns highlight the need for council to balance the modernisation of municipal services with the preservation of Bulawayo’s character and orderly urban environment.

While digitalising cemeteries would primarily improve access to burial records and municipal administration, establishing clear signage standards would help ensure that the city’s streetscape remains organised as commercial and public signage continues to increase.

Both proposals point to the broader need for the local authority to modernise its systems while improving the quality and accessibility of services provided to residents.