At long last the bones which were excavated in KwaNdancama in 2007 have been buried.
The reburial of 96 human remains (contained in separate boxes) took place in a mass grave at Luvuyo Hall in Fingo Village on Thursday.
At long last the bones which were excavated in KwaNdancama in 2007 have been buried.
The reburial of 96 human remains (contained in separate boxes) took place in a mass grave at Luvuyo Hall in Fingo Village on Thursday.
This followed the Makana council’s resolution that the remains be reburied in a mass grave in the fenced area of the hall in close proximity to the historically significant Lobenguela Graves.
The bones are believed to have belonged to soldiers who fell during the Frontier War of 1819 but there is no evidence which supports this view.
The bones were excavated when the municipality was developing the area from an informal settlement to a township with RDP houses and water-borne toilets.
During public consultation meetings conducted early last year, no residents came forward to claim that any of the deceased were their next-of-kin. Meanwhile, the bones were being kept at Inggs Funeral Home while an archaeological impact assessment was being compiled by independent archaeoligists.
Makana Parks and Reacreation manager Kevin Bates says a formal "memorial rededication" service will be held next year after the holiday period "when all councillors and officials are back from the Christmas/New Year recess.
The date will be decided on in the new year and it will probably be in late January or early February when we’ll put up a tombstone and a say a little memorial prayer," he added.
According to a report on an Archaeological Impact Assessment & Intervention prepared by archaeology consultancy Ninham Shand, the demographic profile of the excavated burials is made up of 96 individuals of both African and European descent. "There was no evidence of a mass grave associated with the 1819 Frontier War," concluded the report.
