How SA plans to bring home freedom fighters buried in Angola

Families of South Africans who died or disappeared in Angola during the liberation struggle are being urged to come forward as the government launches the next phase of its programme to repatriate the remains of those who never returned from exile.

Sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie announced that relatives can now register with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) to help the government locate, identify and repatriate liberation fighters buried in Angola.

McKenzie was speaking at a press briefing in Freedom Park in Pretoria on Friday.

The initiative is part of a five-year Exile Repatriation Programme approved by the cabinet in March, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2024 commitment to continue bringing home South Africans who died in exile.

In September 2024 South Africa repatriated the remains of 42 liberation heroes and heroines from Zambia and Zimbabwe; Angola is now the next priority, believed to hold the largest concentration of South Africans who died in the struggle against apartheid.

“We are here today to tell the families that the waiting is coming to an end, and to tell them exactly what they must now do.”

The government noted that thousands of South Africans went into exile after the ANC was banned in 1960. Many joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the ANC’s armed wing, training in Angolan camps such as Nova Catengue, Quibaxe, Pango and Funda.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said Angola became central to the struggle after its independence in 1975; Novo Catengue in particular was described as “the intellectual and military home of a generation” before it was bombed by the apartheid air force in 1979.

“Today we continue, in earnest, the work of bringing home the sons and daughters of South Africa who marched into exile in the 1960s, 70s and 80s and who never returned,” he said.

Though many of those buried in Angola were ANC and MK members, McKenzie stressed the programme is open to all South Africans who died in exile, regardless of political affiliation.

“This is a programme of the government of the Republic of South Africa … It is open to every South African family, without exception.

“We do not ask a mother to justify her grief. If your child died in exile, and we can bring your child home, your child is coming home,” said McKenzie.

Officials explained that identifying remains after more than four decades depends heavily on information provided by relatives.

Families may hold photographs, documents, military records or personal details useful to investigators; in some cases relatives may be asked to voluntarily provide DNA samples. Defence and military veterans minister Angie Motshekga said families are central to the programme’s success.

“The success of the repatriation programme depends significantly on information provided by relatives and communities. Government cannot complete this process without the participation of families,” she said.

Once a family registers with Sahra, officials will verify historical records and identify possible burial sites. Recovery teams will co-ordinate with Angolan authorities to ensure sites are safe, particularly where landmines remain.

If conditions allow, forensic teams will exhume remains and undertake scientific examinations and DNA testing where necessary. Confirmed remains will be returned to South Africa for reburial according to family wishes.

McKenzie emphasised that no family will be forced to participate: “Nothing proceeds without consent. Exhumation, forensic investigation, verification and repatriation happen only where the family has agreed.”

He also warned families against paying intermediaries: “Nothing in this process costs a family a single cent. If a person asks you for money to bring your child home, that person is stealing from you.”

The government said more than 400 possible graves have been identified across Angola, but recovering remains will be one of the most complex forensic operations undertaken by the country. Many burial sites are in landmine-affected areas, while others are unmarked wartime graves or mass burials with little or no documentation.

Thick vegetation, deteriorated remains and shifting landscapes over decades complicate searches. Motshekga said every recovery mission requires careful planning, scientific expertise and co-operation with Angolan authorities and local communities.

Officials acknowledged some remains may never be recovered or scientifically identified. For those families, the programme will facilitate spiritual repatriation, allowing traditional, cultural or religious ceremonies to symbolically bring loved ones home.

“We will not recover everyone, but we will bring home all those we possibly can,” McKenzie said.

Mbalula described the initiative as a long-overdue effort to fulfil a promise to those who sacrificed their lives.

McKenzie’s closing appeal was simple: “So come forward now. Apply, and help us find them. The very least this nation owes them is a grave their families can visit.”

Sowetan