Project Charter

The goal of the South Africa War Graves Project is to archive photographs of every single South African war grave from the 2nd Anglo-Boer War, WW1, WW2, Korea, Rand Revolt, Freedom Struggle, Angola-Border War to present day. These photos will either be in the format of a picture of a headstone or a name on a memorial. These photos will eventually be made freely to the family, friends of the deceased serviceperson, school groups, veterans groups and MOTH shell-holes through this website.

Most of the families and friends of South Africa's war dead will never get a chance to visit the graves of these fallen service people due to the distances and expenses involved with such a journey. Hopefully by archiving these photos we will be able to close a missing chapter in many people’s lives by supplying them a photo of the last resting place of a loved one. By archiving these photos will have created an online South African national war cemetery. The future generations in turn will hopefully be able to learn from this archive, remember and never forget.

One day we hope to make this a completed work and then donate it wholly, without cost, to the National Archives of South Africa and / or the South Africa National Defense Force in order to preserve South Africa’s human cost for its part during these struggles for freedom or tyranny.

Currently, this website only has project information relating to cemetery locations and to show the unpaid efforts of the project’s worldwide volunteers. The South Africa War Graves Project has no database to search from other than the cemetery lists.

The South Africa War Graves Project currently has no official status with the government of South Africa or any of its agencies. It is a non-political project and only acts on behalf of remembrance. The project director, any future board of directors, and volunteers are and will remain unpaid. Any monies donated will be used towards project equipment and expenses. Never will this project be run for profit.

The project belongs to no one person but to each and every volunteer that contributes to it. Without these volunteers this project would not exist.

The photos that are archived remain the intellectual property of the volunteer that took them, as per international copyright law. The South Africa War Graves Project will only act as an archivist for these volunteers and will never sell, misuse, or misrepresent these photos in a way that dishonours the sacrifice of those it represents. Volunteers submit photographs knowing that they will be dispersed to those families, friends of the service people, school and veterans groups and MOTH shell holes should they be requested. Any monies that are donated on behalf of any photo will not be used for the sole financial purposes of the project director, any future board of directors or any of its volunteers, but to the volunteer group as a whole and used towards the funding, expenses and equipment of this project.