The Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) is set to reopen the previously dormant Hamberg Cemetery in Roodepoort next month, after finding at least 1,500 new burial sites that will benefit residents.
Jenny Moodley, spokesperson for the JCPZ, said Hamberg Cemetery is scheduled to reopen in June 2025, as part of the ongoing efforts to increase burial capacity.
“This will provide approximately 1,500 new burial sites, particularly benefiting residents in the city’s western region,” Moodley said.
She added that the JCPZ is also exploring unused land in other dormant cemeteries for development, as funding allows.
At least 38 of the 42 cemeteries operated by the JCPZ in Gauteng are at full capacity. The city currently has Olifantsvlei Cemetery in the far south of Johannesburg, the Waterval Cemetery in Midrand, the Diepsloot Cemetery in the northern part of Johannesburg, and the soon-to-be-reopened Hamberg Cemetery
The Hamberg, also known as the Old Roodepoort Cemetery, is one of the oldest burial places in Gauteng, with the first funeral recorded on December 1, 1905.
It catered to diverse groups and had Muslim and Jewish sections.
However, according to JCPZ, its last recorded primary burial was on September 1, 1992.
For many years, it remained dormant and no longer offered new graves, but it remained a place of remembrance for families whose loved ones lie buried there.
Moodley stated that the maintenance programme for the previously dormant cemetery was conducted every 60 days.
The closure of some of the notable cemeteries in Johannesburg has seen a greater interest in cremation. Muzi Hlengwa, spokesperson for the Unification Task Team of the Funeral Industry of South Africa said the closure of cemeteries is crippling the undertaker sector, and pushing up the cost of funerals.
gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za
