Harare (Pioneer) Cemetery
- Country Zimbabwe
- Total identified casualties 259 Find these casualties
- Identified casualties from First & Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: -17.85092, Longitude: 31.03899
Please note
Please be aware of your personal safety at all times. We strongly advise not carrying valuables and not leaving them on display in vehicles. There is the potential for items to be stolen by people who frequent the area. We recommend notifying the Municipality of your visit and not going into the Cemetery alone. There may be stray dogs present and there are also steps at the entrance to the Cemetery.
Historical Note
Within this cemetery, 46 graves of the First World War were never individually marked. These casualties were instead commemorated by name on Harare Memorial. Work is now underway to see if any of these graves can be restored.
You can find more information about historical inequalities in commemoration in our Special Committee’s report.
Location information
Harare (Pioneer) Cemetery is situated within Mbare West Cemetery; a large town cemetery. It consists of two separate plots, both marked by a Cross of Sacrifice. From Unity Square (town centre) proceed 200 metres on 2nd Street and turn right into Jason Moyo Avenue. Proceed for 2 kilometres keeping to the right, and turn left at the lights into Rotten Row. Proceed for a further 2 kilometres, passing over a large flyover. At the crossroads turn right and the entrance to the Cemetery will be found 200 metres further along on the right. Also within the War Graves Plots are the Harare Memorial, commemorating 66 men of the Rhodesia Native Regiment and British South Africa Police, and the Harare Cremation Memorial, commemorating a single Royal Air Force casualty of the Second World War.
Visiting information
ARRIVAL
The main municipal cemetery (Mbare West Cemetery) is signposted. The main entrance is on Remembrance Drive. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) sections are not signposted. The African Section, with the Harare Memorial, is located approximately 150 metres from the main entrance, near the centre of the cemetery. The European Section, with the Harare Cremation Memorial, is located towards the top right-hand corner of the cemetery, approximately 300 metres from the main entrance.
PARKING
There is no car park at the cemetery.
It is possible to drive around the municipal cemetery and to a point close to the CWGC sections where is possible to park, approximately 3 metres from the entrances to the CWGC sections.
The ground is flat and firm, the ground surface is a mixture of scrubland, gravel, and sand.
There are two separate plots in the Cemetery; the European Section and the African Section, both with a Cross of Sacrifice.
ACCESS, LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE
European Section
The plot is rectangular shaped.
There is a cobbled pathway adjacent to the road. Three steps lead down into the plot at the far end, and a paved ramp slopes down into the burial area near the beginning of the pathway.
The Cross of Sacrifice is in the centre of the cemetery.
The Harare Cremation Memorial is located near the Cross of Sacrifice.
There are seating areas with stone benches facing the Cross of Sacrifice.
All the internal cemetery paths are grass, the ground is firm and flat.
African Section
The plot is accessed directly from the track running adjacent to the plot.
The Harare Memorial is located at the head of the cemetery, near the Cross of Sacrifice.
All the internal cemetery paths are grass, the ground is firm and flat.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The cemetery is open during working hours, Monday to Friday 0600 hrs to 1800 hrs.
Outside of the working hours, the cemetery gates are closed and padlocked.
History information
There are 27 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-1918 war and a further 224 Commonwealth burials of the 1939-1945 war in this cemetery.