By Staff Reporter
HARARE – The Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe says it will not oppose the planned exhumation of about 140 graves at a mining site in Shurugwi, provided families give consent and health authorities supervise the process.
The graves are located on land allocated to Chengxi, a Chinese mining company undertaking a large-scale mining project in the area. The proposed relocation has sparked concern among affected families, local leaders, and religious authorities, with some questioning how the process would be handled.
Speaking after a visit to the site, the council’s president, Sheikh Ishmail Duwa, said the Islamic leadership had engaged government officials, traditional leaders, and community representatives to find common ground.
Duwa dismissed reports that dozens of Muslims had travelled from Harare to resist the process.
“It is untrue that 40 Muslims drove from Harare. We were only five people from Harare, while the others were local families who own the graves in Shurugwi,” he said.
He added that no one had suggested that the remains should be reburied outside Zimbabwe.
“No one claimed that their relatives should be reburied in Malawi,” he said.
For many of the affected families, the issue goes beyond religion and touches on deep emotional ties to their loved ones buried at the site. Some families have reportedly requested more time to consult relatives before agreeing to any relocation process.
Duwa said the council understood the sensitivity surrounding the graves, particularly because Islamic teachings generally discourage exhumation after burial.
“In Islam, we are not allowed to exhume someone after burial, but under certain circumstances we are going to do that,” he said. “If it happens for a tangible reason, then we are going to allow it. In this case, the reason relates to the economic development of the country.”
He said the council’s main condition is that every affected family must be consulted before any grave is opened.
“No grave is going to be opened without the consent of the owner,” he said.
According to Duwa, the matter was discussed at a meeting attended by the District Administrator, officials from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Health, local traditional leaders, and the area’s Member of Parliament.
He stressed that health authorities must play a central role in the process because the deceased had died from different illnesses over many years.
“We are not going to handle this haphazardly,” he said.
Duwa also said the council wants formal documentation from the relevant authorities before the exercise begins, noting that exhumations legally fall under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
The council is now consulting Islamic scholars and community representatives while working to identify all families connected to the graves.
“We need to speed up the reburial process to pave the way for mining to proceed, for the betterment of our economy and to implement Vision 2030,” Duwa said.
The planned exhumations highlight the growing tension between economic development projects and the protection of cultural and religious heritage in mining communities across Zimbabwe.
