Ramaphosa slams 'corpse theft' at reburial of anti-colonial heroes

The remains of dozens of Africans whose bodies were dug up and sent to Europe for scientific research long ago were reburied on Monday in South Africa.

The remains of at least 63 members of the Khoi and San communities were repatriated from a European museum, part of a wider movement in Africa to bring back remains and artifacts that had been stolen or removed from the continent.

Officials and traditional leaders gathered for the reburial ceremony in Steinkopf, in the Northern Cape.

Widely acknowledged as the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa, the Khoi and San waged resistance against colonialism, and many were killed by European settlers.

The remains being reburied were dug up between 1868 and 1924 and donated to The Hunterian museum at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

Others had been housed at the Iziko Museum in South Africa since the 1920s.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who attended the reburial with museum representatives and traditional leaders, said the repatriation followed negotiations between the university and the government that started in 2022.

Ramaphosa called it part of efforts to restore dignity.

"They sought to reduce our ancestors into objects, but we know and we have to affirm today that our ancestors were not objects," he said.

Ramaphosa said most European countries must do more to acknowledge the indignity suffered by Africans through colonialism and consider paying reparations to their former colonies.