JN Reporter

In a moment heavy with history and healing, the ancestral remains of 63 Khoi and San people have finally been laid to rest in their homeland in the Northern Cape—more than a century after they were taken without consent for colonial scientific study.

Repatriated last year from the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum and cared for by Iziko Museums of South Africa, the remains were reburied near Steinkopf in a ceremony marked by dignity, reflection and cultural rites.

President Cyril Ramaphosa described the return as a vital act of restoration, acknowledging the long-ignored trauma of indigenous erasure and affirming government’s commitment to justice.

Led by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the South African Heritage Resources Agency, the reburial ensured each ancestor was laid to rest individually—restoring the dignity once denied.

For descendants, it was a long-overdue homecoming—one that closes a painful chapter while opening a path toward healing.