In the current edition of our sister publication, The Monitor, Lands minister Nonofo Molefhi has elicited a debate in which he is calling on Batswana to consider cremation as a new form of burial. Minister Molefhi says the realities of land shortage makes cremation a practical alternative. In light of the state of the cemeteries in our towns and major villages one is bound to sympathise with the view expressed by the minister. It is common to find more than one cemetery in a town or village. In other places they have up to four cemeteries. Cemeteries by nature take a huge chunk of land that is quickly used up with communities queuing up again for more land to bury the dead. Cemeteries nowadays compete for space with applications for residential, active community and civic applications and industrial plots. Given the sensitive nature of a cemetery they will always be favoured over other land demands.
Of course the pressure on land in other areas other than the urban is less and might not immediately warrant a discussion on land conservation. The reality, however is that land conservation should never wait until a crisis beckons. We should always be proactive on issues of land conservation and avert it before disaster strikes.
