HG0017

Did You Know?

The Vredefort Road concentration camp cemetery is located near Koppies in the Free State province. It is the burial ground for victims of the Vredefort Road concentration camp, one of the internment camps established by the British during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). The camp was situated along the railway line between Vredefort and Koppies, and it housed Boer women, children, and other civilians forcibly removed from the surrounding farms under the British scorched-earth policy. The camp suffered from overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and food shortages, leading to high mortality rates, particularly among children. The cemetery contains the graves of many who died in the camp, with simple headstones marking the sites. The exact number of burials is not precisely recorded, but it reflects the tragic human cost of the war in the region. The site is maintained as a historical grave and serves as a reminder of the suffering endured during the conflict. The camp was part of a network of over 40 such camps in the Orange Free State, which collectively saw thousands of deaths due to disease and malnutrition.

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