Not to graveyard trade

IT makes for very sad reading that Zambian citizens have comfortably sought to turn graveyards into commercial trading places.
Reports that the Ndola City Council has warned people trading at grave yards to immediately stop and move to designated markets in the city is troubling.
The fact that death is inevitable to each and every one of us, does not dilute in any way the grief and reverence associated with grave yards.
Granted, mourners do eat and drink and therefore present a semblance of demand, it is highly immoral for traders to cash in on human traffic at grave yards.
Not only is an affront to the Zambian culture, but as it happens, trading at a cemetary is also illegal.
NCC Public Relations Manager, Rebecca Mushota told ZANIS in an interview that trading at grave yards is prosecutable as it is illegal as per provisions of SI No 12 of 2018.
Ms Mushota says the council is working with various stakeholders in the city to ensure sanity is attained at graveyards where our beloved ones rest in peace.
“The council through its public health department does carry out routine spot checks to stop vendors from conducting business in grave yards”, Ms Mushota said.
Ndola residents have raised concerns on the increase of vending in cemeteries around the district.
The residents have complained that initially the vendors started with water and wreaths, which they said was understandable, but that the trend is now moving to food stuffs such as snacks and even heavy meals in some cases.
We too think the bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and Zambians should earnestly begin to treat cemeteries as sacred and maintain them as such.
The Church should join in this crusade against invasion of cemeteries in Zambia by money hungry individuals, more so that we are a Christian nation which is supposed to know better.
We believe respect for the dead is overriding and we should not give room to these perfidious people to carry out their malevolent deeds because even in our African culture it is a taboo to trouble the dead.
Grave yards are known to be resting places for the deceased and these places should be giving a wide berth when it comes to what can and cannot be done on this sacred ground.
There is no way that the traders can ignore their morale compass to begin to profit off people’s grief.
IT is mind boggling that the municipal council would have to speak out against the act, what does it say about the willing customers?
Much like begging is seen as a vice, so too should trading in graveyards be discouraged.
Mourners must not support this illicit acts. It should never become normal or even considered as modern to have people freely selling goods at cemeteries.
If the money dries up, then surely these traders will shift back to market places.
Let us not contribute to a growing problem but instead be part of the solution by simply refusing to buy from graveyard traders.