Sutherland reburial
Restoring ancestors to their home through transformational UCT process
04 November 2019 | Video Greg Shaw. Journalist Kim Cloete. Video Editor Evan Zerf.An interdisciplinary team of academics from the University of Cape Town and two international institutions has conducted a series of scientific studies on the remains of nine people from Sutherland. They have uncovered a range of findings which could influence national policy for future burial and restitution.
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UCT Sutherland Reburial
After an archiving audit of the UCT Human Skeletal Collection in 2017, the university discovered that it had 11 skeletons in its collection that were unethically obtained by the institution in the 1920s. The university has acknowledged this past injustice, which forms part of its history. Nine of these individuals were brought to the university in the 1920s from Sutherland in the Northern Cape. UCT is working with the community of Sutherland to return the skeletal remains of these nine individuals to their descendants. An interdisciplinary team of academics from UCT and two international partner institutions have conducted unprecedented scientific studies. This process has enabled the university to provide redress and social justice through science.
On 26 November 2023, remains of the nine individuals were reburied in Sutherland. Read the latest news.
