The Northern Cape Government continues to play an important role in restoring the dignity of Khoi and San people whose remains were taken and used for research during colonial times. The recent reburial of 63 ancestral remains at Kinderlê near Steinkopf, led by the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, is part of this ongoing work. For many years, these remains were kept in foreign institutions such as the Hunterian University in Glasgow Scotland and the Iziko Museum in Cape Town, where they were treated as objects, not as human beings. Their return and reburial bring much-needed dignity and respect.

This work builds on earlier efforts, including the return of the “Sutherland Nine” from the University of Cape Town in 2023, to their home in Sutherland. It also includes the repatriation and reburial of Trooi and Klaas in 2012 in Kuruman whose remains have also been laid to rest in a humane and dignified manner. These processes are not just about burial. They are about healing communities and correcting the wrongs of the past. The Northern Cape Government, working with National Departments and local communities, ensures that these reburials follow cultural and spiritual practices. By bringing our ancestors home, the Province is helping to restore dignity, honour our history, and remind us that these were people with families, identities, and stories that must never be forgotten.