When death gives lifeblood in end-of-life industry

Tavonga Zvinonzwa

Although death is inevitable, and has been there since time immemorial, it is still not a welcome visitor to humankind.

To many, losing a loved one is a bitter pill to swallow.

As such, most, if not all, funerals are characterised by grief and wails of mourning from relatives and friends who would have lost their loved ones.

But those in the end-of-life industry laugh all the way to the bank whenever death strikes.

Of late, there has been an increase in the number of memorial masons in and around the capital, Harare.

When Zim Now visited Jackson Mapondo’s workshop located along Mukomberwa Road in Zengeza 5, Chitungwiza, masons could be seen carving natural granite stone into enduring artwork.

“People have embraced tombstones, which are a lasting tribute to our departed loved ones.

“We are doing tombstones of people who died even in the 1980s”, said Mapondo.

A holder of a National Diploma in Process Technology from Masvingo Polytechnic, Mapondo’s journey in tombstone carving started around 2008 when he joined his brothers who were already in the trade before parting ways in 2011.

“When I broke away from my brothers in 2011, I would do everything from cutting granite stone, designing, polishing up to selling the finished product,” he said.

Since then, Mapondo has never looked back.

Now equipped with the right expertise and machinery like sand-blasting machine, vinyl cutter, laser machine for photograph engraving among others, Mapondo and team make tombstones of different sizes and shapes engraved with epitaphs, images of the deceased as well as dates of birth and death of the deceased.

The shapes include but are not limited to teardrop, heart, oval, butterfly and angel.

Currently, Mapondo employs 28 full time workers, who include women.

Of the 28 employees, some are based at the Zengeza 5 workshop while others man showrooms dotted around Chitungwiza and Hatfield.

However, the journey, Mapondo said, was not easy as he faces a number of challenges, including the high cost of machinery and raw granite stone.

Mapondo, who has already begun the process of registering his company, told Zim Now that his firm should be fully registered by the end of February 2024.