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Namibia advances repatriation of Robben Island Prisoners’ remains
Staff Reporter
THE Namibian delegation that departed for Cape Town last month to engage with its South African counterparts on the exhumation and repatriation of the remains of Namibian ex-political prisoners is making progress.
The delegation left on 9 July 2026 to facilitate the mission, which aims to exhume and repatriate the remains of Simon Petrus Niilenge and Festus Nehale, as well as ancestral human remains. The exhumation of Niilenge and Nehale is expected to be completed ahead of their reburial in Namibia on Heroes’ Day, 26 August 2026.
“As part of the ongoing mission, the Namibian delegation on 12 August 2026 conducted customary rituals and verification processes at the Iziko Museums in Cape Town. The delegation also conducted customary rituals at Gugulethu Cemetery, where former Robben Island political prisoner, the late Simon Petrus Niilenge, was buried 52 years ago, and at Maitland Cemetery, where the late Festus Nehale was buried 55 years ago,” Matty Kaminzi, Acting Senior Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, said.
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EXHUMATION: The remains of Former Robben Island political prisoners, Simon Petrus Niilenge and Festus Nehale exhumed in Cape Town on 13 August 2026. Photos: Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
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She explained that the customary rituals form an important part of the cultural and legal protocols preceding the formal receiving, exhumation and transportation of the remains to Namibia for final reburial.
“The processes are being undertaken with the participation of family representatives, traditional leaders, former political prisoners, and relevant technical and government officials. The mission further involves the repatriation of 84 ancestral human remains of Namibians,” Kaminzi said.
She added that the mission includes former political prisoners, family members, traditional leaders, government officials, heritage and cultural practitioners, historians, archaeologists and other technical experts.
“The Government of Namibia remains committed to ensuring that the repatriation process is conducted with dignity, cultural sensitivity and respect, and that the remains are ultimately returned home for final reburial,” Kaminzi said.
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