Voortrekker Cemetery in KZN Site Inspection Report

SAHRA received an email from Mr Reinhardt Hartzenberg from the Department of Arts and Culture in KwaZulu Natal concerning the Voortrekker Cemetery vandalism and stealing of a fence. The cemetery dates to the founding of the city itself with graves as old as 1839, encapsulating the history and heritage of the city. Over 40 people who may be linked to road names across Pietermaritzburg are buried in the cemetery, including Taunton, Boshoff, Tatham, Stranack and Hyslop. The cemetery’s registers were started in 1889 but the earliest tombstone erected was in 1839. The earliest inscription on a tombstone is that of Hendrik Van den Berg, who was born in 1785 and died in 1839 in the city at the age of 54.