The remains of 86 Namibians are being repatriated from South Africa after years of efforts to identify their graves and secure their return, bringing an end to a long-running process involving both colonial-era human remains and two figures from Namibia’s liberation struggle.
The remains were being held at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town, where South African and Namibian officials gathered for an official farewell ceremony.
Of the 86 Namibians, 84 were taken from indigenous communities more than a century ago and subjected to practices that would now be regarded as deeply unethical.
The remains were used in colonial-era research involving measurements of human skulls and brains, with researchers comparing the results with those of people from other racial groups.
At the time, such human experimentation was treated by sections of the scientific establishment as legitimate research. Human remains were subsequently transferred to museums, universities and other institutions in several countries, including South Africa.
For Namibia, the repatriation represents both the return of individuals to their homeland and an attempt to address a painful legacy of colonial-era exploitation.
Freedom fighters also return to Namibia
The repatriation includes the remains of two Namibian liberation figures, Festus Nehale and Simon Niilenge.
The two men were arrested in Namibia in 1974 and subsequently imprisoned on Robben Island, where they died.
Their remains were later buried at Maitland and Gugulethu cemeteries respectively before being exhumed as part of the process to return them to Namibia.
Family members of Nehale and Niilenge attended the farewell ceremony and stood emotionally beside their caskets as Namibian traditional leaders and government representatives marked the occasion.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said President Cyril Ramaphosa had tasked him with accelerating the repatriation of liberation heroes as well as human remains that had been collected unethically during the colonial period.
McKenzie said the return was significant because those who had been denied freedom during their lifetimes could now be returned to their homeland.
“They’ve never been free, but today they’re going home,” McKenzie said.
He also called for free access to the Robben Island Museum for primary school children, arguing that younger generations should remain connected to the country’s struggle history.
Repatriation brings closure to families
Namibian officials and relatives expressed gratitude for the return of the remains.
Manfred Gaeb, who led the Namibian government delegation, described the repatriation as an important moment of closure for families and communities that had carried the historical burden for generations.
The return also reflects a broader effort by South Africa and Namibia to address human remains taken during the colonial era and held by scientific and cultural institutions.
The practice of collecting human remains for racial and anthropological studies was linked to colonial-era theories that attempted to classify human populations according to race.
Those theories have since been widely discredited, while the retention of human remains in museums and research institutions has become the subject of ethical and repatriation debates in countries around the world.
The remains are scheduled to leave South Africa on Friday.
Nehale and Niilenge will be buried at Namibia’s Heroes’ Acre on 24 August, where they will be honoured alongside other figures associated with the country’s liberation history.
For the families involved, the journey marks the end of a separation that lasted generations.
The repatriation is also expected to contribute to wider efforts by both countries to confront the legacy of colonialism and ensure that human remains removed from their communities are returned with dignity and respect.