By JACKSON MAPAPAYI
Some residents of Kazomba, Kyawama, Kimakolwe and Wisdom compounds in Solwezi have been burying the dead in shallow graves at Kalepa burial site, attracting dogs that have feeding on the human remains.
Some of graves have been discovered as shallow as less than one meter.
According to North western province commissioner of police Joe Njase, his officers received a report of an exhumed coffin at the same burial site.
Mr Njase explained that on Saturday around 18:00 hours, Richard Kolala aged 39 of Kazomba compound reported that a body was exhumed at the same burial site.
“The report was to the effect that on Saturday around 10:00 hours, Mr Kolala while in company of others went to bury their friend’s late wife when they discovered that, there was a coffin that was protruding from a shallow grave and suspected that both the grave and coffin were tempered with,” he said.
He said police made a follow up on Sunday around 08:00 hours at Kalepa burial site situated at Kimakolwe B area.
“Upon arrival, the police inspected the graveyard and noticed that the people who bury their beloved one there, dig shallow graves of about less than a metre deep,” he said.
Mr Njase said that this has attracted a lot of dogs as a result of the smell that comes from decomposed bodies.
He said people from nearby homes complained that people from as far as Kazomba, Kyawama, Messengers and Wisdom compounds bury the dead there and have a tendency of digging shallow graves.
“And sometimes they even take miscarriage dead bodies in buckets or sucks and just dump them on top of graves,” he said. Mr Njase aid a random check by police revealed that even other shallow graves had been tempered with by dogs, as dog hooves marks were seen all over the burial site.
