A new Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial, dedicated to South African military laborers of the First World War, has been inaugurated in Cape Town.
Located in the city's Company’s Garden, near prominent cultural landmarks, the Cape Town Labor Corps Memorial serves as a site of remembrance, addressing past inequalities in commemoration.
"We are proud to honor, through this Cape Town Labor Corps Memorial, more than 1700 servicemen who made the ultimate contribution in the fight against tyranny more than a century ago. This memorial is a wonderful tribute to black South African servicemen who perished in the First World War, and whose stories were often overlooked in the telling of that history," Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Mayor, said.
Historically, the Imperial War Graves Commission and colonial administrations failed to properly recognize at least 100,000 African and Indian service personnel, unlike their European counterparts. This memorial now stands as a tribute to South Africa's overlooked WWI laborers, offering a fuller, more inclusive historical perspective and inviting visitors to reflect on and honor these individuals who have finally been rightfully commemorated.