Khoi and San ancestral remains will be reburied at the Kinderlê Monument in Steinkopf in the Northern Cape on Monday, 23 March 2026, marking a significant step in South Africa’s ongoing efforts to restore dignity to its First Peoples, reports Cape {town} Etc.
Ceremony marks milestone in restoring dignity to Khoi and San
The ceremony follows the return of the remains from the University of Glasgow in October 2025 after more than a century abroad.
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According to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the repatriation forms part of a broader national effort to address historical injustices linked to colonial-era practices, during which human remains were removed without consent.
📍 Today | 23 March 2026
President Cyril Ramaphosa will officiate the reburial ceremony of 63 Khoi and San ancestral remains at the Kinderlê Monument in Steinkopf, Northern Cape.
The remains were repatriated from European museums over successive periods — a profound act of… pic.twitter.com/Dd8wAk9xEi
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) March 23, 2026
Officials said the initiative aims to ‘correct historical injustices and promote healing’ through the ‘repatriation and respectful reburial’ of ancestral remains.
Thank you to Queen Belinda for gracing us with an interview to express importance of the official handover ceremony between the Western Cape and Northern Cape provincial governments, a historic reburial ceremony for sixty-three (63) Khoi and San ancestral remains.
In October… pic.twitter.com/gne5GyDwhO
— Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (@SportArtsCultur) March 22, 2026
Queen Belinda of the Western Cape, from Royal Drift’s Chaman Songkos, led the ceremonial handover from the Western Cape to the Northern Cape. She described the occasion as sacred, saying it marked a poignant farewell. ‘We felt like this is a moment where we say goodbye,’ she said.
The department added that the Steinkopf ceremony represents ‘an important moment of remembrance, healing, and reaffirmation’ of the country’s commitment to restorative justice.
The remains were housed at Iziko Museums of South Africa before their return, while consultations took place with Khoi and San community leaders to guide the reburial process.
Officials say it reflects a continued commitment to honouring cultural heritage and acknowledging the lived histories of Indigenous communities.
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Also read:
Home Affairs embraces Khoi-San traditional names on identity documents
Picture: Lulama Zenzile / Gallo Images
