An ethical assessment of current death disposal beliefs, attitudes and practices in Gaborone’s Ledumang ward in Botswana.
type: CreativeWork
description: Death disposal is the process of dealing with the physical remains of the dead person. It is the act of getting rid of the body before decomposing and starting to emit foul odour that can affect the people around it. Gaborone city, in which Ledumang Ward is situated and is the subject of the case study, was planned for a small population, but has seen an exponential growth in human population and settlements over the last fifty (50) years such that residential areas and cemeteries are placed close to each other presenting a possible risk of cemetery pollution to the health of the human environment, human beings and other living organisms, especially so given the persistence in traditional and Christian beliefs of the people that support attachment to practices of burying the dead. In view of this belief, this study aimed to make an ethical assessment of current death disposal beliefs, attitudes and practices in Botswana with specific reference to Ledumang ward in Gaborone. The objectives of the study were (1) to investigate the current attitudes and practices of people in Ledumang ward with regards to death disposal; (2) to examine if there is evidence of a growing tension between religious beliefs towards death disposal practices and environmental degradation, and (3) to make an ethical evaluation of the findings. The research was a case study which employed the use of qualitative methodology with an ethical component. Primary data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 30 householders, in-depth interviews with 12 key informants with important knowledge of the body disposal attitudes, beliefs, and practices in Ledumang. The study therefore had a total sample size of 42 participants. Observations of the funerals and the cemetery also took place. Qualitative analysis of the data collected involved description, explanation and interpretation. The land ethic was used in the theoretical framework and applied to the findings for ethical evaluation. Secondary…
abstract: Death disposal is the process of dealing with the physical remains of the dead person. It is the act of getting rid of the body before decomposing and starting to emit foul odour that can affect the people around it. Gaborone city, in which Ledumang Ward is situated and is the subject of the case study, was planned for a small population, but has seen an exponential growth in human population and settlements over the last fifty (50) years such that residential areas and cemeteries are placed close to each other presenting a possible risk of cemetery pollution to the health of the human environment, human beings and other living organisms, especially so given the persistence in traditional and Christian beliefs of the people that support attachment to practices of burying the dead. In view of this belief, this study aimed to make an ethical assessment of current death disposal beliefs, attitudes and practices in Botswana with specific reference to Ledumang ward in Gaborone. The objectives of the study were (1) to investigate the current attitudes and practices of people in Ledumang ward with regards to death disposal; (2) to examine if there is evidence of a growing tension between religious beliefs towards death disposal practices and environmental degradation, and (3) to make an ethical evaluation of the findings. The research was a case study which employed the use of qualitative methodology with an ethical component. Primary data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 30 householders, in-depth interviews with 12 key informants with important knowledge of the body disposal attitudes, beliefs, and practices in Ledumang. The study therefore had a total sample size of 42 participants. Observations of the funerals and the cemetery also took place. Qualitative analysis of the data collected involved description, explanation and interpretation. The land ethic was used in the theoretical framework and applied to the findings for ethical evaluation. Secondary…
author: Matende, Wedu
language: en
keywords: Death--Religious aspects--Botswana., Body disposal beliefs., Death--Social aspects., Death--Psychological aspects., Bereavement., Death disposal--Disposal practices., Burial Practices--Ethics.
date published: 2022
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:06:42Z
provider: University of Zimbabwe
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Zambia