By
the
following
day,
he
had
been
buried.
In
Ward
13
of
Nkayi
district,
there
was
no
time
for
a
traditional
week-long
wake
or
a
post-mortem
examination.
There
is
no
mortuary.
Local
leaders
say
immediate
burials
have
become
common
in
parts
of
Nkayi
and
neighbouring
Lupane,
where
families
cannot
preserve
bodies
due
to
a
lack
of
cold
storage
facilities.
Weston
Msimango,
the
councillor
for
Ward
13,
said
Mr
Mabhena’s
body
was
covered
with
sand
before
burial
in
an
attempt
to
slow
decomposition.
“It
has
become
normal
for
people
to
be
buried
within
24
hours,”
he
said.
“We
have
no
facilities
to
keep
them.”
The
problem
centres
on
Mbuma
Mission
Hospital,
the
main
referral
hospital
for
Nkayi
and
Lupane
districts.
Despite
serving
thousands
of
people,
it
has
never
had
a
mortuary.
For
many
villagers,
transporting
a
body
to
cities
such
as
Bulawayo
or
Gweru
is
too
expensive.
As
a
result,
families
resort
to
improvised
methods
to
manage
the
smell
of
decomposition
while
making
urgent
burial
arrangements.
Thandiwe
Moyo,
from
Mkalathi
village,
said
families
often
use
sand
and
bananas
to
try
to
reduce
odours
while
waiting
for
a
few
relatives
to
gather.
“To
bury
someone
you
love
within
24
hours,
without
a
proper
goodbye
because
there
is
no
cold
room,
feels
like
we
are
disposing
of
trash
rather
than
honouring
a
life,”
she
said.
Residents
say
the
lack
of
basic
infrastructure
contrasts
sharply
with
the
political
rallies
occasionally
held
in
the
district.
Jabulani
Hadebe,
the
Member
of
Parliament
for
Nkayi
South,
has
criticised
what
he
describes
as
a
lack
of
political
will
to
address
the
issue.
He
pointed
to
a
large
2023
election
rally
in
the
area,
attended
by
senior
political
figures,
as
an
example
of
misplaced
priorities.
“Leaders
had
an
opportunity
to
visit
the
hospital,
see
what
was
missing
and
help,”
he
said.
“Instead,
the
focus
was
on
displays
of
wealth.”
Hadebe
also
alleged
that
some
people
who
attended
the
rally
were
given
spoiled
food
and
later
fell
ill,
though
this
claim
could
not
be
independently
verified.
Sibusiso
Sibanda,
from
Gonye
village,
said
residents
struggle
to
reconcile
the
arrival
of
luxury
vehicles
at
rallies
with
the
absence
of
a
basic
mortuary
facility.
“They
can
come
with
big
cars
and
give
out
meat,
but
they
cannot
finish
a
small
room
at
Mbuma
to
keep
the
dead,”
he
said.
He
added
that
without
funeral
insurance
or
money
for
transport,
families
have
little
choice
but
to
bury
relatives
quickly.
“In
the
morning
you
are
alive.
If
you
die
and
you
do
not
have
a
funeral
policy,
by
evening
you
are
in
the
sand,”
he
said.
“There
is
no
dignity
left.”
Villagers
in
Somakantane
said
the
absence
of
a
mortuary
has
also
disrupted
cultural
practices
that
require
the
body
to
remain
at
home
for
several
days
before
burial.
The
situation
is
not
unique
to
Nkayi.
Lawmakers
have
raised
similar
concerns
in
Binga,
where
some
hospitals
also
operate
without
mortuary
facilities.
Despite
the
issue
being
raised
in
Parliament,
there
has
been
no
formal
response
from
the
government
indicating
when
mortuaries
might
be
built
or
repaired
in
affected
districts.
The
Ministry
of
Health’s
spokesperson,
Donald
Mujiri,
could
not
be
reached
for
comment.