By Fanuel Chinowaita
MUTARE, 19 April 2026– The Mutare City Council is facing a dual-pronged controversy over its cemetery management, with Mayor Simon Chabuka ordering the immediate clearing of all graveyards in the city while simultaneously condemning a new $7 entry fee for mourners as a dereliction of social responsibility.
The twin developments emerged during the 1335th Ordinary Full Council meeting held two weeks ago, where a heated exchange over the 2026 Budget’s “flower tax” was compounded by concerns over the unkempt state of the city’s burial sites.
In a decisive directive from the chair, Mayor Chabuka ordered that all graveyards under the council’s jurisdiction be cleared of overgrown vegetation without delay. The order comes as residents have long voiced frustration not only about the new fees but also about the state of neglect at cemeteries, where tall grass often makes it difficult for families to locate and tend to graves.
The Mayor’s instruction on clearing was issued as the chamber debated the controversial budget provision requiring residents to pay US$7 simply to enter a cemetery to lay flowers.
Ward 10 Councillor Calvin Matsiya had ignited the debate by labeling the fee as an unjust burden on the poor. “Paying $7 just to get into the cemetery to put flowers is unjust,” Councillor Matsiya argued. “If a person has seven or more relatives buried at different cemeteries, he or she cannot afford to clean the graves or simply lay flowers.”
Director of Housing and Community Services, Emma Mandiziba, defended the provision, stating it was included in the 2026 Budget as a measure to “prevent people who are coming to do rituals in the graveyard.”
However, Mayor Chabuka and fellow councillors rejected this rationale, questioning why the council could not simply implement a visitor registry instead of a financial barrier. “Why can we not have a record of people getting in than making people pay?” the Mayor demanded, turning to the housing department and telling officials to “be serious and revisit that provision.”
The Mayor further pressed the moral implications of the fee: “Where is the social responsibility when people are paying 7 USD for just putting flowers on the grave of their loved ones?”
Councillor Chirara weighed in, suggesting that charges should be reserved exclusively for heavy construction work such as the installation of tombstones, rather than for simple acts of mourning and cleaning.
The combination of the Mayor’s clearing order and the pushback against the $7 fee signals a potential policy reversal as the council grapples with balancing fiscal needs against public sentiment.
Residents have already registered widespread displeasure over the entry charge, and the Mayor’s intervention suggests the housing department may be forced to table an amendment to the 2026 Budget implementation plan before the next full council meeting.