Alderman Owen Kinahan (1955–2026)

11 January 1955–4 January 2026.

Well-known urban conservationist, former member of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Council and a past chairman of the Building Development Committee, Alderman Owen Kinahan, has died. Kinahan passed away in Cape Town on Sunday, 4 January, just a week before his 71st birthday.

Born in Southern Rhodesia in 1955, Kinahan was a long-serving member of Council, where he served as the City of Cape Town’s representative for 14 years. His term ended in 2016. During this time, he was involved in several notable projects including the restoration and recommissioning of the Josephine Mill in Newlands – Cape Town’s last watermill. In 1995 he also climbed in “boots and all” on the secretive process to redevelop St Peter’s Cemetery in Mowbray. The process turned into a three-year commitment and an emotionally taxing period that saw 10 000 exhumations, and the construction of an ossuary and Garden of Remembrance.

In 2011, Kinahan received the Molteno Gold Medal for “Lifetime Achievements in Conservation”. The medal is awarded by the Council of the Cape Tercentenary Foundation for significant contributions to the fields it supports, including literature, the visual and performing arts, and conservation of natural and built environment. Prior to this, he also received the Cape Times Centenary Medal for conservation.

Kinahan is survived by his brothers, Paul Eia and John Kinahan. Details of his funeral are still to be confirmed.