Zimbabwe’s second city Bulawayo is considering mandatory cremation for people who die aged 25 and below because of a shortage of burial space in the city, the state-run Chronicle newspaper reports.

Bulawayo City Council debated the contentious issue at a recent meeting, the paper quotes the minutes as saying.

One of the city’s six cemeteries – West Park Cemetery – only had space for 200 graves, it said.

The Chronicle says city residents have opposed the idea of cremation in the past, saying it was "unAfrican".

In Bulawayo, it costs about $63 (£49) to cremate a body, while conducting a burial without a funeral policy is about $1,000, the report says.