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Avalon Cemetery

Buildings and structures in SowetoCemeteries in South Africa
Helen Joseph Avalon
Helen Joseph Avalon

Avalon Cemetery is one of the largest graveyards in South Africa. It was opened in 1972, during the height of apartheid, as a graveyard exclusively for black people. The huge extension was officially opened on 9 February by Matshidiso Mfikoe, at the time a mayoral committee member for environment and corporate services. Before Avalon opened, Sowetans were buried in Nancefield (Klipspruit) Cemetery. That burial ground opened in 1912 but is now full except for second or third burials. Just beyond the entrance, to the left, there are Memorials dedicated to struggle activists Lilian Ngoyi and Helen Joseph. During Women’s Month in August 2010, the graves of Ngoyi, Joseph and Maxeke were declared National Heritage Sites. (The cemetery has memorials to other heroes as well.) To the North, near the Train Station, lies the Mendi Memorial. In the cemetery are the graves of Joe Slovo and Hector Pieterson.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Avalon Cemetery (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Avalon Cemetery
Shikundu Street, Soweto Mapetla

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Latitude Longitude
N -26.276388888889 ° E 27.851111111111 °
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Shikundu Street (Shikundi Street)

Shikundu Street
1818 Soweto, Mapetla
Gauteng, South Africa
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Helen Joseph Avalon
Helen Joseph Avalon
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