By Umamah Bakharia

It has been 106 years since the demise of a distinguished and professional diplomat of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet Remzi Bey who died in 1916 in South Africa due to a major brain haemorrhage and was buried at the Braamfontein cemetery.

The Bey’s remains were exhumed and returned to his original resting place at the Braamfontein cemetery after 10 years. 

The body of Mehmet Remzi Bey being taken to the burial space at the Braamfontein cemetery.

“This way we are hoping to build a graveyard where Turkish and Muslim visitors can come and pay their respects,” says the Turkish Ambassador of South Africa, Ayşegül Kandaş.

She adds: “The moving of the graveyard contributes to the cultural ties between South Africa and Turkey because there is a historical bond there and we see this as a bond of friendship between the two countries.”

On 18 January, Consul General Mehmet Remzi Bey was reburied at the Enoch Sontonga Braamfontein Cemetery  in the presence of his granddaughter, Turkish officials and citizens and in compliance with Covid-19 protocols.

Mehmet Remzi Bey was the first and last Ottoman Consul General to South Africa. He served the Ottoman diplomatic missions in various countries including Bulgaria, Crimea, Iran, and Georgia. He was then appointed Consul General to South Africa in Johannesburg on 21 April 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I.

Soldiers of the Ottoman Empire during WWI.

Upon the Ottoman Empire’s entry into the war, despite his diplomatic status he was summarily interned by the colonial government of Great Britain in South Africa. He suffered serious illness without treatment during his detention sentence and was only released when it appeared that he would not survive. 

The body of the last Ottoman Consul General was buried in it’s “original” grave.

Consul General Mehmet Remzi Bey died a few short weeks after his release from detention on 14 February 1916, at the age of 46, due to a major brain hemorrhage. 

“His remains are being put to rest in a place where it is safe and well taken care of,” says he’s granddaughter.