Artefacts from the Royal Nkuna family have been returned to South Africa after more than a century abroad.
The Nkuna royal family is elated as artefacts, taken over a century ago, are finally returned by Switzerland, items they consider vital not only to their family’s legacy but for South Africa’s national heritage.
The restitution of these artefacts marks a historic milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to reclaim cultural treasures taken during the colonial era.
Repatriation and Restitution Manager at the South African Heritage Resources Agency, Troy Phili, has highlighted the role the agency played in facilitating their return.
He noted that this represents a key milestone in South Africa’s broader mission to restore significant heritage items looted during the colonial era.
“One of the key objectives of this government and post-1994 has been healing at reconciliation, and… the national President, by inventing, is to facilitate that healing and reconciliation. From the pain that families and communities endured over the colonial period up until the apartheid period. It is quite important that we achieve that through heritage, through this policy, which also further ensures that it doesn’t only end with a return of the artefacts, but also cements relationships between the government of Switzerland and South Africa.” -Reporting by Botlhale Phele
