Joe Blog

In honour of Black History Month and in memory of those who were lost at sea, we invite you to join us for a memorable bus tour to the SS Mendi Memorial in Avalon Cemetery, Soweto.

Led by Kathy Munro and Boitumelo Moletsane, with contributions from Tshenolo Mokhele, this is a time to reflect on and in Johannesburg largest urban cemetery - featuring the impressive tombstones of many iconic South Africans including Hector Pietersen, Joe Slovo, Tsietsi Mashinini, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and many others.

The tour will also visit the SS Mendi Memorial where we will pay our respects to the tragic troopship that was sunk in the English Channel during the First World War, carrying hundreds of men from the SA Native Labour Corps to their deaths on a freezing, foggy February night. The memorial was first designed in the 1990s and unveiled by Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth in 1995. It has since been upgraded into an award-winning Educational Centre, with some support from the JHF.

A bus will transport us from the Sunnyside Park Hotel to Avalon cemetery where some walking will be required over uneven terrain. Please wear comfortable shoes, sun protection and carry a bottle of water. Security guards will accompany the group but remain alert and be discrete with your valuables. Please consider bringing along a few notes for the men who help maintain the cemetery.