A Day in the Life of the University of Pretoria. 09 September 1966

On this "Day in the life of the University of Pretoria" 60 students helped to dig Dr H. F. Verwoerd’s grave in the Old Pretoria Cemetery.

Prime Minister Verwoerd was assassinated shortly after entering the House of Assembly in Cape Town on 6 September 1966. The Pretoria News reported that sixty students from Sonop residence prepared Dr Verwoerd’s grave in Hero’s Acre by shovelling away two feet of soil and removing a concrete cover. The students also used a specially engraved spade used by a previous group of residence students to dig Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom’s grave in 1958.

The University of Pretoria Archives (UPA) preserves the history of the University of Pretoria. The UPA has an extensive photo collection and clipping collection. Please contact us on [email protected] to share your memories of Tukkies or to access our collection.