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The Turffontein concentration camp was established during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902) on the outskirts of Johannesburg, near the present-day suburb of Turffontein. It was one of several camps created by the British military to house Boer civilians, primarily women and children, who had been displaced by the scorched-earth policy. The camp was located on the open veld south of the mining town, and conditions were harsh, with outbreaks of measles, typhoid, and dysentery leading to a high mortality rate, particularly among children. The exact number of deaths at Turffontein is not precisely recorded, but it was one of the smaller camps in the Transvaal, with a peak population of around 1,500 inmates. The camp was closed after the war ended in 1902, and the graves of those who died were initially left on the original site. The original burial ground at Turffontein was later disturbed by urban development and mining activity. In the mid-20th century, the remains were exhumed and relocated to a memorial garden in the Mondeor area of southern Johannesburg, which is now the site referred to as the Turffontein Concentration Camp Memorial Grave Site. This relocation was part of a broader effort to preserve the memory of the camp victims as Johannesburg expanded. The memorial garden contains a central monument and individual grave markers, though many of the original headstones were lost or damaged during the move. The site is maintained as a place of remembrance, though it is not a major tourist attraction and is often overlooked in favour of larger concentration camp memorials such as those at Bloemfontein or Pretoria. The camp at Turffontein was part of a network of over 40 concentration camps in South Africa, which collectively held more than 100,000 Boer civilians and an estimated 20,000 Black Africans in separate camps. The death toll in the Boer camps was approximately 26,000, with children making up the majority of fatalities. The existence of these camps became a major point of international criticism against Britain and contributed to the eventual peace negotiations. The relocation of the Turffontein graves to Mondeor reflects the ongoing challenge of preserving heritage sites in rapidly urbanising areas, and the memorial garden serves as a quiet reminder of the civilian suffering during the war, distinct from the military history of the nearby Johannesburg forts.

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