Bezuidenhout Valley War Memorial

Last Updated: July 7, 2025

About Bezuidenhout Valley War Memorial

The monument consists of a column of brown marble, with a semi-circular sandstone wall behind. Inscribed on the monument are the names of 64 men, from families associated with Bezuidenhout Valley, who died on battlefields far from their homes. Erected in honour of men of Bezuidenhout Valley who fell in World War 1, 1914-18, the monument reflects the heavy loss of life from this part of Johannesburg. The memorial stands as a reminder of South Africans who volunteered to fight the war against Germany and its allies, and who died in a terrible conflict.

The monument is located in Bezuidenhout Park, close to the main parking area and to the Bezuidenhout Farmhouse.

Address

Bezuidenhout Park, 2nd Avenue, De Westshof, Johannesburg

History

Bezuidenhout Valley war monument was erected in 1920 in honour of men of Bezuidenhout Valley who fell in World War 1, 1914-18, the monument reflects the heavy loss of life from this part of Johannesburg.
The original monument was for many years located at the corner of Kitchener and Ninth Avenue, Kensington, adjoining Bezuidenhout Valley. The monument site was repeatedly vandalised, and by 2019 the memorial was at the brink of destruction.
In order to preserve the monument, it was restored, relocated and re-created at Bezuidenhout Park in 2020, though a joint project of the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF). The local context of the monument, which is rooted in the history of Bezuidenhout Valley, has been retained.
A mosaic developed in 2020 marks the previous monument site, at a mini-park opposite Darras Centre. The mosaic wall by artist Drew Lindsay is on a theme of Ubuntu. Included in the artwork is a side-panel with an outline image of the monument. An inscription reads:

“First erected in the 1920s, the Bezuidenhout Valley War memorial remembers men of this suburb who died in World War 1. The memorial was relocated to Bezuidenhout park in 2020”.

Statement of Significance

Bezuidenhout Valley War Memorial was erected in honour of men of Bezuidenhout Valley who fell in World War 1, 1914-18, This is essentially a local monument which was erected by a local community, and the monument reflects the heavy loss of life from this part of Johannesburg. The memorial stands as a reminder of South Africans who volunteered to fight the war against Germany and its allies, and who died in a terrible conflict. All the South Africans who served in the First World War were volunteers. There was no conscription and the rewards were pitifully few. So they really laid down their lives for a cause to which their country was committed.

Inscription

A new interpretive and explanatory panel was erected in 2020, soon after the memorial was moved to Bezuidenhout Park. The inscription reads as follows: Bezuidenhout Valley war memorial Monument Erected in honour of men of Bezuidenhout Valley who fell in World War 1, 1914-18, the monument reflects the heavy loss of life from this part of Johannesburg. The memorial stands as a reminder of South Africans who volunteered to fight the war against Germany and its allies, and who died in a terrible conflict. Inscribed on the Monument are the names of 64 men, from families associated with Bezuidenhout Valley, who died on battlefields far from their homes. The original monument was for many years located at the corner of Kitchener and Ninth Avenue, Kensington, adjoining Bezuidenhout Valley. The monument site was repeatedly vandalised, and by 2019 the memorial was at the brink of destruction. In order to preserve the monument, it was restored and re-created at Bezuidenhout Park in 2020, through a joint project of the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation. The local context of the monument, which is rooted in the history of Bezuidenhout Valley, has been retained. The conservation approach followed by Mayat-Hart Architects was to re-use the original remains of the monument, and to show where it was damaged and repaired, as part of the history of the piece. Following the Japanese tradition of kintsugi, the damaged object is repaired such that the scars are not hidden, but highlighted to expose its experience through time. The project was funded by Neil Fraser on behalf of the Johannesburg Heritage Trust, and was assisted by Barrow Construction.

Legal Status

Protected under Section 37 of the National Heritage Resources Act (Public Monuments and Memorials):
“Public monuments and memorials must, without the need to publish a notice to this effect, be protected in the same manner as places which are entered in a heritage register …”

Since the Bezuidenhout valley War memorial is older than 60 years, it is also protected in terms of Section 34 of the National Heritage Resources Act.