Braamfontein Cemetery ash walls being meticulously repaired
The detailed and careful work to return the ashes of thousands to their rightful resting place is done diligently but as with most things in life, it comes at a cost.
The over 5 000 desecrated graves in the ash walls at the Braamfontein Cemetery have been painstakingly restored.
This important work is only halfway done, and Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries are concerned about being able to complete the work due to dwindling funds.
Destroyed in March last year by vandals, the family of the deceased whose ashes are stored there, and the broader community at the time were left horrified at the wanton destruction of this sacred space in the city.
Founder of Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries Sarah Welham says, “The vandalism from a year ago is mostly a thing of the past. A few weeks ago, though, our builders on site told me that one of the ash walls which we haven’t fixed yet had had its ash caskets taken out of niches and ash and some caskets were lying at the foot of the wall. We are very sure that whoever did this was looking for valuables.”
She says the restoration work has been time-consuming and difficult. “Our dedicated volunteers have painstakingly recorded names and dates on every plaque on every damaged wall so we could work out from cremation registers to ensure plaques and ashes are returned to the right niche.”
Only then were builders able to start work on placing plaques back on walls. In several instances says Welham the walls needed to be rebuilt due to neglect. An example of this is when seeds from a nearby tree had dropped on the walls and grown into trees with massive root systems, breaking some walls.
“We have heard this week that City Parks has donated the 130 blank granite plaques that we estimated we needed to close many of the walls where plaques have disappeared. They have also been providing the building materials we need as well as a skip for the rubbish created in the restoration. So, they have really come to the party.”
“Once the builders have replaced and repaired walls and plaques, another team checks those walls to make sure we had all the information correctly.”
“I am there every Monday and Thursday morning with new lists of the plaques on the walls they will be mending that week and checking the completed work.”
There are three builders on site every day who are paid R500 each which adds up to R7 500 per week.
Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries is a non-profit sub-group of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation.
Welham says, “All the funds we need for wages and materials needed for the repair work have come from donations from family members of those affected by the vandalism, organisations and concerned members of the public. Unfortunately, most donors are feeling they have ‘done their bit, so funds are drying up which puts us in a very vulnerable position when there is still so much repair work to do.”
If you would like to learn more or make a donation, please visit www.joburgheritage.org.za/friends-of-the-cemeteries, email
cemeteries@joburgheritage.org.za or call 011 482 3349.
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