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MEDIA RELEASE PRESTWICH PLACE BURIALS, CAPE TOWN
PRESTWICH PLACE BURIAL GROUND, GREEN POINT, CAPE TOWN The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) announced today that it was necessary for archaeological work to continue to relocate the graves of more than 350 people dating to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in Prestwich Street, Green Point, out of respect for these people whose remains have never been accorded respect in the past. The decision was informed by consultation with various focus groups and the general public. South African legislation and internationally accepted principles for the treatment of human remains were also taken into account. A public consultation process to reach agreement on where they should be re-interred, and how they should be memorialised, at both the original site and at the place of re-interment will continue in order to meet the needs and aspirations of descendant communities. Religious leaders have agreed to participate in an interdenominational cleansing ceremony at the site. The National Heritage Resources Act (No. 25 of 1999) and its regulations and guidelines require that when graves are discovered accidentally – as was the case in this instance – the descendants of the people buried there must be consulted. A 60-day public consultation period to identify possible direct descendants ended on 16 August. As no formal claims were received, SAHRA entered into wider consultation with communities on the future of the site. A range of people, including religious leaders, contributed their opinions in three public meetings and numerous smaller meetings, at the site in conversation with the excavators, and through e-mail and the post. Announcing the decision, Mrs Pumla Madiba, CEO of SAHRA, said: “Preliminary assessment of the graves suggests that the deceased were buried outside of a formal cemetery, possibly because they did not belong to any of the established churches in the vicinity or because they were the victims of a natural disaster. They seem to have been mainly from the poorer classes of Cape Town and probably included slaves. The decision to remove and re-inter the graves was influenced by the fact that they were never given formal burial in the past. Establishment of a formal burial site will certainly provide a memorial and a place of remembrance to allow them to rest in lasting peace.” South African legislation recognizes the sacred and sensitive nature of human remains and requires that they be treated with compassion, respect and dignity, irrespective of origin, race, religion, nationality, custom and tradition. SAHRA will facilitate multi-disciplinary research and public involvement in the excavation, re-interment and memorialisation process. SAHRA will be working closely with Heritage Western Cape to acquire suitable land from the City in the vicinity of Prestwich Street for the re-interment not only of these remains, but of others that may be discovered in a similar manner in the future. Archival records show that much of the area bounded by Buitengracht St, Somerset Road, Ebenezer Rd and the Waterfront was a burial ground from the 1700s until the mid-1800s. You may e-mail your suggestions and comments to the CEO of SAHRA on info@sahra.org.za
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