24 Nov 2023

After an archiving audit of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Human Skeletal Collection in 2017, the university discovered that it had 11 skeletons in its collection that were unethically obtained by the institution in the 1920s. The university has acknowledged this past injustice, which forms part of its history. Nine of these individuals were brought to the university in the 1920s from Sutherland in the Northern Cape. UCT worked with the community of Sutherland and other relevant stakeholders to return the skeletal remains of these nine individuals to their descendants. An interdisciplinary team of academics from UCT and two international partner institutions has supported this process. This process has enabled the university to provide redress and social justice through science.

Click here for more resources on the Sutherland Nine Story - or scan the QR code below: