I tell boys picking up my daughters that I own a cemetery – Memorial Park owner
SIPHO Phiri, owner of Zambia’s private cemetery, Memorial Park, says the cemetery business is ultimately about the living, who want to lay their loved ones to rest in a place where they can fondly remember them.
Sipho says his late uncle, Manase Phiri, was not proud of the business for 12 years because, in his view, he was making money from the dead.
Speaking on the Unfiltered Podcast, Sipho says his vision was to create a respectful and orderly place where people could go to pay their respects to their departed loved ones and ancestors.
He says he sometimes tells people that he owns a private cemetery just to aggravate them, adding that the revelation has also proved effective when it comes to his daughters’ suitors.
“When boys are picking up my daughters, I tell them I own a cemetery, and that works very well,” he remarks.
Sipho says although many people initially objected to him running a private cemetery, some later changed their views and expressed appreciation for the environment he had created to help families preserve the memories of their loved ones.
He says he regrets that Memorial Park is expensive and wishes he could provide a more affordable option for families who have been unable to lay their loved ones to rest there.
Sipho also reveals that his organisation has developed software designed to bring order to the burial process, adding that he hopes to present the innovation to local councils.
Chi Kondi November 12, 2026.