Attraction
Independence Memorial Museum
Free museum in a five-storey glass building on Robert Mugabe Avenue that tells the story of colonial rule, resistance and Namibia's road to independence.
Old Location Cemetery
Cemetery of Windhoek's former Old Location, holding the mass grave of people shot on 10 December 1959 while resisting forced removal to Katutura.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic cemetery and national monument
- Area
- Hochland Park / Pioneers Park area, Windhoek, Namibia
- Official site
- windhoekcc.org.na
Good to know
- National monument
- Free
Why we recommend it
The Old Location Cemetery is a small, quiet site with a large place in Namibian history. It served the Old Location, the area where Windhoek's black residents were made to live from 1912, and it was in use from 1924 to 1960. The City of Windhoek notes that it was opened because the older Gammams cemetery, used since 1904, had run out of space, and the two cemeteries lie opposite each other. The Old Location itself stood roughly between today's suburbs of Hochland Park and Pioneers Park.
In the 1950s the municipality and the South African administration began moving the Old Location's residents about 8 km north to the new township of Katutura. Residents objected strongly. Many had owned their plots in the Old Location, whereas in Katutura the land belonged to the municipality, plots were smaller, rent had to be paid and a bus was needed to get to work. After protests and a boycott of municipal services organised largely by SWANU, police opened fire on the night of 10 December 1959, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens more. One of those killed, the domestic worker Anna Mungunda, was later named a national hero.
Those killed were buried in a mass grave in this cemetery, which was declared a national monument in August 2004. The shootings are the reason 10 December is a public holiday in Namibia, Human Rights Day. The name Katutura comes from Otjiherero and is usually translated as "the place where we do not want to live", which says a great deal about how the move was received.
There is not much infrastructure here, and that is part of the point: this is a place for reflection rather than a museum. Visit respectfully, keep to the paths and do not climb on graves. Opening times are not published by the city, so go in daylight, ideally with a local guide who can point out the mass grave and explain the wider story. Some city and township tours stop here on the way to Katutura.
Allow 20 to 30 minutes. The visit makes most sense combined with the Independence Memorial Museum in the centre and a trip to Katutura itself, where you can see how the township grew from the forced removals that began here.
Old Location Cemetery FAQs
Why is the Old Location Cemetery important?
It holds the mass grave of people shot by police on 10 December 1959 while resisting forced removal from the Old Location to Katutura.
When was the cemetery in use?
From 1924 to 1960, according to the City of Windhoek.
Is it a national monument?
Yes. The mass grave was declared a national monument in August 2004.
What was the Old Location?
The area where black residents of Windhoek were made to live from 1912, roughly between today's Hochland Park and Pioneers Park.
Why is 10 December a public holiday?
Namibia marks Human Rights Day on 10 December in memory of the 1959 shootings.
Is there an entry fee?
No fee is published; treat it as a cemetery and visit respectfully in daylight.
How can I learn more on site?
Go with a local guide or a city and township tour, as there is little interpretation at the cemetery itself.
What does Katutura mean?
It comes from Otjiherero and is usually translated as the place where we do not want to live.