Cape Town - UCT is preparing to return nine skeletons said to have been “obtained unethically” during the 19th century to their descendants in Sutherland, Northern Cape, on Heritage Day.
The university has been involved in a lengthy process after discovering the remains in an archival audit of the university’s skeletal collection by its curator of human remains.
The remains were those of nine people, believed to have been captured and forced to become farm labourers in the 1800s. It was dug up by a farmer in Sutherland and brought to the university some time in the 19th century. Research showed that the remains belonged to the Stuurman and Abrahams families in Sutherland.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said there was a visit to the farm where the remains were previously buried, followed by an informal debriefing session between the university delegation and the families.
Moholola said on May 20, the delegation met with representatives of the Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality. “Thereafter, a final public meeting marked the end of a public participation process that is governed by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra).
“The reburial date is earmarked for September 24, and is subject to approval by Sahra.”
He said in October, during an archiving audit of the university’s skeletal collection, their curator of human remains identified 11 skeletons that had been obtained unethically.
Some of thee remains were identified as belonging to the Stuurman and Abraham families and were brought to the university by a farmer from Sutherland, Northern Cape, in the 19th century.
Led by UCT deputy vice-chancellor for transformation Loretta Feris, its public participation consultant Doreen Februarie, Victoria Gibbon from the department of human biology, and the office for inclusivity and change, the university set out on a path towards reburial, a process that is guided by the overarching transformation agenda.
Moholola said they continued to work closely with the families and relevant stakeholders in making arrangements to ensure that the remains were reburied with dignity.
Alfred Stuurman described his relief when he heard the news about the remains, and said “although it was a shock, it had solved a long-time mystery over which my family had agonised – about what had happened to our forebears”.
“I knew about the existence of the Stuurman family, but I could never put my finger on it. We now know where we come from,” he said.
Another family member, Anthony Mietas, said he was happy about the engagements and said they had to put together a proposed reburial plan for the remains.
“This was an emotional roller coaster. We are also waiting for the DNA analysis and facial reconstruction,” Mietas said.
During a briefing, UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng said the university had been shocked by the discovery of “this shameful chapter” in its history, and had put in place a collaborative process to make some form of amends for what had happened.
She said while they know from their work with the national government that many skeletons of South Africans in the 19th century were treated similarly, “there is as yet no precedent for returning skeletons to their places of origin. Therefore, we met with the families to ask for their advice and assistance.
“Sometimes in our surrounding community old human skeletal remains are uncovered during development or by erosion of the soil. UCT currently has 1 021 skeletons. They are used for educational and research purposes in a variety of disciplines, including health sciences. They help us to understand how our species has adapted over time and to different environments.”
Phakeng said the donation of human skeletons, whether they be of cadaver or archaeological origin, had always been tightly controlled at UCT. “But deeper consideration of the ethical context of their collection has been a focus since the 1980s and research is now controlled by strict protocols.”
Gibbon, from the department of human biology in the division of clinical anatomy and biological anthropology, said she was prompted to do an analysis of UCT’s collections and records after a discussion on the ethical procurement of human remains at a national symposium at Iziko Museums in 2017.
After discovering that the skeletons had been procured unethically, they were placed under a moratorium, sealed and separated from the collection, she pointed out.