Over 400 graves identified as government expands Angola repatriation programme

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The government has launched the second phase of its Exile Repatriation Programme 2026/27 to locate, identify and repatriate the remains of South Africans who died in exile during the liberation struggle in Angola between 1976 and 1992.

The initiative, led by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in partnership with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD), the Department of Defence (DoD), the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) and the African National Congress (ANC), was unveiled at Freedom Park in Pretoria on Friday.

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said government had identified more than 400 graves across Luanda and Angola’s northern, eastern and southern provinces that could potentially be recovered.

“Angola holds the largest concentration of South Africans who died in exile and is therefore the first country of focus under the Five-Year Plan,” McKenzie said.

He urged families to register with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) to begin the exhumation, forensic examination, identification and repatriation process.

“From today, families may apply for the exhumation, forensic examination, identification and repatriation of their loved ones. The application form and all supporting material are hosted and controlled by SAHRA,” he said.

McKenzie cautioned that not all remains would be recoverable or identifiable because of the challenges involved in forensic investigations.

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

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula described the programme as an important milestone in honouring South Africans who left the country to fight against apartheid.

“This project is integral to our programme to repatriate the mortal remains of our combatants who died in exile and lay them to rest at home amongst their people and their ancestors,” he said.

He said many families had spent decades without knowing what had happened to relatives who died in exile.

“For decades, too many families have lived without a grave to visit and without an answer to the simplest of questions: what happened to our child? Today’s programme seeks to answer that question wherever the truth can still be found,” Mbalula said.

Mbalula paid tribute to Angola’s role in South Africa’s liberation struggle, saying the country had provided sanctuary to Umkhonto we Sizwe despite facing its own conflict.

He said the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale between 1987 and 1988, involving Angolan, Cuban and South African liberation forces, helped accelerate Namibia’s independence and the eventual collapse of apartheid.

“The outcome of that campaign hastened the independence of Namibia and, too, the collapse of apartheid,” he said.

Mbalula said the programme forms part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between South Africa and Angola in December 2024 under the Roads to Independence: African Liberation Heritage Programme.

He acknowledged that recovery efforts would be complicated by minefields, unmarked graves and landscapes altered by decades of conflict.

Mbalula said government had already repatriated the remains of 47 liberation fighters from Zambia and Zimbabwe in September 2024, with further repatriation efforts planned in Tanzania, Angola, Uganda, Lesotho and Mozambique.

He also highlighted the successful return of the remains of liberation stalwarts, including Moses Kotane, former ANC Secretary-General Duma Nokwe and Florence Mophosho.

“We remain duty-bound to keep the legacy of their heroic struggles and sacrifices alive,” he said.

Deputy Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Andries Nel said the programme fulfils recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which called on government to continue tracing people who disappeared or died because of political conflict between 1960 and 1994.

“The Preamble to the Constitution demands that we honour those who suffered for justice and freedom on our land and heal the divisions of the past,” Nel said.

He said the department’s primary responsibility was family liaison and support.

According to Nel, the Missing Persons Task Team has recovered the remains of more than 230 people linked to apartheid-era political conflict, while the Exile Repatriation Programme has already recovered the remains of 49 individuals from Zambia and Zimbabwe.

He said available information suggests that between 300 and 400 Umkhonto we Sizwe combatants died in Angola between 1976 and 1992.

However, he warned that recovery conditions in Angola are significantly more complex than in previous operations.

“Current assessments suggest that between 30% and 50% of the deceased may be recoverable,” Nel said.

He added that symbolic and spiritual repatriation would remain an important option for families where remains cannot be located or identified.

Nel said a preliminary mission to Angola in 2025 identified 89 potential graves for excavation, although further investigations are expected to uncover additional burial sites.

He said DNA samples from relatives would play a critical role in identifying recovered remains.

Subject to approval by Angolan authorities, excavation and exhumation work is expected to begin in September or October 2026.

“Repatriation will take place only after South African status and, wherever possible, individual identity have been confirmed,” he said.

Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga said the repatriation programme was about restoring dignity to those who sacrificed their lives for South Africa’s freedom.

“This work is far more than an administrative exercise. It is a national duty,” she said.

“It is about restoring dignity to those who sacrificed everything for the freedom we enjoy today and ensuring that those who left South Africa to advance the struggle against apartheid are finally returned home.”

Motshekga said many families had lived for decades with uncertainty over the fate of loved ones who died in exile.

She said government remained committed to ensuring that liberation heroes and heroines are not forgotten.

“Their sacrifice forms part of the foundation of our democracy, and preserving that legacy remains a collective responsibility,” she said.

Motshekga urged families whose relatives died or disappeared in Angola during the liberation struggle to register with SAHRA, saying community information and DNA samples are essential to the success of the programme.

“Every piece of information matters. Every family has a story that can help us bring another South African hero home,” she said.

She acknowledged that not all remains would be recovered despite extensive investigations, but said government would continue working with families to facilitate symbolic and spiritual repatriation where necessary.

“Our objective is not only to recover remains where possible but also to provide healing, acknowledgement and closure,” Motshekga said.

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