President Cyril Ramaphosa officiated the reburial of 63 Khoi and San ancestral remains at the Kinderlê Monument on 23 March 2026, marking a significant step in South Africa’s efforts to restore dignity to indigenous communities.
Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, 23 March 2026, led a historic and deeply symbolic reburial ceremony for Khoi and San ancestral human remains at the Kinderlê Monument.
The ceremony marked a significant step in South Africa’s ongoing efforts to restore dignity to indigenous communities whose ancestors were subjected to grave injustices during colonial rule.
A total of 63 ancestral remains were laid to rest, following years of repatriation work.
Six of these remains were returned from Scotland, including institutions such as the Hunterian Museum, while others had been held locally at Iziko Museums since the early 20th century.
These remains form part of thousands that were unlawfully exhumed from graves between the late 19th and early 20th centuries and transported to museums and universities, where they were often used to justify racist scientific theories.
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Addressing attendees, Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of restoring dignity to those who had been dehumanised both in life and death.
“A dignified burial is but the least we can do as the democratic government to honour these, our countrymen and countrywomen, who were victims of a terrible past,” he said.
He highlighted how indigenous groups, including the Nama, Khoi, Korana, Griqua and San people, suffered dispossession, cultural erasure and extreme violence under colonial conquest.
The choice of the Kinderlê Monument as the final resting place carries profound historical significance.
The site commemorates a tragic event in 1867, when 32 Nama children were killed while their parents were at church, one of the darkest moments in the history of indigenous communities in the region.
By selecting this location, the reburial transforms a site of trauma into one of remembrance, healing and reconciliation.
The repatriation process, facilitated by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the South African Heritage Resources Agency, and Iziko Museums, has been years in the making.
Negotiations with international institutions, including those in Scotland, began in 2022 and culminated in the return of the remains to South African soil.
The Northern Cape Task Team, representing various Khoi and San cultural groupings, played a crucial role in ensuring that cultural protocols and traditions were respected throughout the process.
Ramaphosa noted that the reburial forms part of a broader national commitment to address historical injustices.
Since 1994, government efforts have included land restitution, the recognition of traditional leadership, and the preservation of indigenous languages and cultures.
He reaffirmed that through the National Policy on Repatriation of Human Remains and Heritage Objects, South Africa will continue working with global partners to return ancestral remains taken during colonial times.
Taking place during Human Rights Month, the ceremony underscored the enduring link between past injustices and the country’s present-day commitment to human dignity and equality.
Human Rights Day, commemorated annually on March 21, serves as a reminder of the struggle against dispossession and systemic oppression—issues that deeply affected the Khoi and San communities.
Monday’s ceremony not only honoured the lives of those who were once treated as objects of study but also reaffirmed their humanity.
As Ramaphosa stated, they were not nameless specimens, but ancestors whose return and reburial represent a powerful act of justice, remembrance and national healing.
Chuma Nontsele
www.news24.com
