Cape Town - In the capital city of Zambia, over 2 000km from South Africa, the spirits of several South African freedom fighters buried in Lusaka were recalled through a spiritual repatriation by family members.
This, as the process to have their remains repatriated has begun.
The individuals buried in Zambia were exiled during the apartheid era and had sought shelter in Zambia, while they continued the fight for South Africa's liberation against apartheid from outside its borders.
The exhumation reportedly took three days.
Representatives from the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), and various representatives from the South African heritage sector recently gathered in Lusaka for the exhumation and repatriation of the liberation Struggle heroes.
The families of the Struggle veterans and martyrs were part of the proceedings, and were brought over to perform the spiritual repatriation.
On Thursday, the DSAC launched the 2024 National Heritage Month programme at the Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum in Pretoria, where more details about the undertaking was provided.
Heritage Day is commemorated annually on September 24, and the theme of this year's National Heritage Month is “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom”, with a number of commemorative events.
According to the DSAC, the theme highlights the Resistance & Liberation Heritage Route Programme, focusing on selfless Struggle heroes and heroines who had made the ultimate sacrifice for liberation.
The key highlight of this year's Heritage Month was the Homecoming and Repatriation project.
The media briefing included the DSAC and its entities, the National Heritage Council and SAHRA, in collaboration with the Department of Military Veterans.
The SANDF said it would be playing a key role in utilising its Air Force resources to retrieve the remains of the liberation martyrs, which included lawyer, political activist and former ANC secretary-general Dumasile Philemon Nokwe (1927–1978), ANC organiser and mobiliser Florence Mophosho, and Umkhonto weSizwe fighter Basil February, buried in Zimbabwe.
“We need to remember the supreme sacrifices they have paid,” Minister Angie Motshekga said at the time.
According to the Lusaka City Council, the remains of 26 South African freedom fighters were exhumed for repatriation. The council said that they had sought shelter in Zambia during the apartheid era.