Ministers to provide update on the repatriation of South Africa's liberation heroes from Angola, 31 Jul

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), through the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), will host a media briefing on Friday, 31 July 2026, at Freedom Park in Pretoria. The briefing is being convened in partnership with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD), the Department of Defence (DoD) and the Department of Military Veterans (DMV).

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie will be joined by Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel, and African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula to provide an update on the next phase of government's programme to locate, identify and return the remains of South Africans who died in exile during the liberation struggle.

The briefing will outline progress on the second phase of the 2026/27 Repatriation and Restitution of Human Remains and Heritage Objects Plan, with Angola as the immediate focus under the Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route (RLHR) Programme. The ANC remains an important partner in this work, having maintained an operational presence in Angola throughout the liberation struggle.

The repatriation programme gives effect to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Governments of South Africa and Angola in December 2024 under the Roads to Independence: African Liberation Heritage Programme. It is aimed at tracing, recovering and returning the remains of South Africans who never made it home after sacrificing their lives for the country's freedom.

A key outcome of the briefing will be a public call for families whose relatives died or disappeared in Angola to come forward and register with SAHRA. Family participation is critical, as exhumation, forensic identification and repatriation cannot proceed without their consent and supporting information.

Ministers will also explain the operational realities of the work on the ground in Angola. Recovery teams continue to navigate mine-affected areas, unmarked burial sites and decades of environmental change, making the identification and recovery of remains a complex forensic process. In some cases, despite exhaustive efforts, physical remains may never be found.

In instances where physical remains cannot be recovered, government will facilitate spiritual repatriation in consultation with affected families, ensuring that cultural and religious practices can be observed and that families have an opportunity to honour those who died in exile.

For many families, this is the first real opportunity in decades to establish what happened to their loved ones. It is a chance to return those who fought for South Africa's freedom to the communities they left behind, while preserving an important chapter of the country's liberation history for future generations.

Members of the media are invited as follows:
Date: Friday, 31 July 2026
Time: 08:30 for 09:00
Venue: Freedom Park Restaurant, Pretoria

For RSVPs:
Mr. Madimetja Moleba

Email: [email protected]

Cell: +27 66 301 4675

For Media Enquiries:
Ms Stacey-Lee Khojane, Spokesperson: Office of the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture

Email: [email protected]

Cell: +27 77 608 7579

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