Situated just outside of Cullinan you will find a rich history of the Prisoner of War (POW) Camp which is now The Zonderwater Museum and the Italian Military Cemetery.
The POW Camp was described as a city and was considered the largest of the 18 World War II Italian detention camps.
It was set up in 1941 for Italian soldiers captured on Africa’s Northern and Eastern fronts and from April 1941 to January 1947 held more than 100,000 Italian soldiers.
The camp started off as a tent city (1941 – 1943).
This was known as the Tendopoli days but as time went on the harsh winds, thunderstorms and sandy conditions forced them to start construction on barracks.
In 1943 the POW was transformed into a permanent built-up area formed by wooden construction and red bricks mostly constructed by the prisoners themselves.
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All in all, there were 14 blocks each made up of 4 camps (44 in total) and each camp could hold around 2000 men.
Camps were surrounded by barbed wire fences and soldiers were stationed on high-raised platforms overlooking the entire block. Perimeter fences were lit at night, making it picturesque from afar.
It was not long before the inmates of each block developed solidarity and patriotism, transforming their own ‘piece of earth’ into what began to resemble the character of an Italian village.
Schools were started in each block which included education in foreign languages, history, sciences, literature and more.
Arts and crafts workshops were opened and once a year an exhibition was held for the general public to acquire various works of art made.
Music was also huge with theatres and orchestras surfacing everywhere in the camp. At first, they were unable to purchase interments but this did not stop the musicians’ ingenuity in manufacturing them themselves.
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Violins were made from purloined toilet seats and drums from everyday odds and ends.
Soon nostalgic Italian folk songs filled the air and operas and concertos were held morning, noon and night.
But it was not the music that was the most notable achievement… it was theatre performances which ranged from classic dramas such as Cyrano de Bergerac to comedies and more.
According to Franco Forleo, who has a keen interest in the POW and whose father was one of the teachers who taught many to read and write at Zonderwater POW, the theatrical costumes worn by the actors were made from anything they could beg, borrow and steal.
Audience members used to gasp at the fur coats worn by female actors, which in the end turned out to be made entirely from cotton wool.
The men’s outfits were made almost entirely from dyed sacking and sometimes the men would leave very little to the imagination with half-transparent ballet dresses.
Facilities for outdoor sports activities were also built and the most popular game was soccer where inter-block matches were held throughout the season.
Other sports played included tennis, handball, bowls, fencing and boxing.
By the time the POW was closed, prisoners returned to their country, not degenerate but happy and somewhat fulfilled.
Should the public wish to know more about the former Italian Prisoners of War, there will be a ceremony held on November 6 at 09:00 at the Italian Military Cemetery of Zonderwater in Cullinan.
This ceremony is open to the public, and it is usually attended by the Italian Community at large, in particular, it is attended by those families who are related to the Former Italian Prisoners of War who died in South Africa.
