A view of some of the vandalised ash niches used to keep the cremated remains of deceased family members are seen, 4 March 2023, at the Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
The final resting place of an estimated 4 000 people, dating back to the late 1800s, in Johannesburg’s Braamfontein Cemetery have been vandalised.
The ash niches have been desecrated and destroyed.
Convenor of the Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries, Sarah Welham, who works with the Joburg Heritage Foundation, was horrified to find thousands of niches vandalised after trying to help an American who wanted to retrieve their father’s ashes from the cemetery.
Read: About 4 000 resting places at Braamfontein Cemetery torn apart by looters
