Zimbabwe

THE Zimbabwean capital, Harare, is offering free graves for victims of a cholera outbreak sweeping the southern African state, which a UN agency says is only the tip of a health crisis.

Nearly 400 people have died from the disease, preventable and treatable under normal conditions, which has infected more than 9,400 in the country and spread to some of its neighbours.

Harare City Council has decided not to charge fees for the burial of victims of the water-borne disease as residents are already under pressure from an economic crisis, including shortages of food and banknotes, the state Herald newspaper reported.