By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Hamberg Cemetery in Roodepoort reopens after 37 years with 1,500 new burial sites for local residents.
- Westpark Cemetery in Randburg will close in August 2025 after 83 years, as the city promotes alternative burial methods.
A cemetery that has been closed for almost 37 years is reopening as Johannesburg struggles to find places to bury the dead.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo is reopening Hamberg Cemetery in Roodepoort after finding at least 1,500 new burial sites for people living nearby.
The move comes after the city announced that Westpark Cemetery in Randburg will close at the end of August 2025 after 83 years of burying people.
City Parks and Zoo confirmed that burial prices at Hamberg Cemetery will stay the same as the old ones.
David Maluleke, chief operations officer at Johannesburg City Parks, said they will not sit and watch Johannesburg residents struggle with burial spaces and promised to keep the
cemeteries in good condition.
“As JCPZ we are working on promoting alternative burial, like multiple interment where if I pass on my wife can be buried on top of me, and cremation,” said Maluleke.
He said following those alternative burials will help save the land for other needs, such as housing.
Herman Oelofse, a resident in Hamberg, said this is good for the community as they will no longer have to travel more than 20 minutes to Westpark Cemetery just to bury their loved ones.
City Parks and Zoo has promised residents that there is enough burial space for the city for the next 30 to 40 years, even without using future expansions or currently unused cemeteries.
The city is now left with Olifantsvlei Cemetery in the far south of Johannesburg, the Waterval Cemetery in Midrand, the Diepsloot Cemetery in the northern part of Johannesburg, and the reopened Hamberg Cemetery in Roodepoort.
Pictured above: The reopening of the Hamberg cemetery.
Image source: Selloane Ntshonyane
