At all times, human remains are to be treated with respect. The ethical treatment, handling and management, conservation and documentation of burial grounds and graves in South Africa is so legislated.
The National Heritage Resources Act No. 25 of 1999, and its supporting regulations provides for the conservation of heritage resources. These include burial grounds and graves older than 60 years; as well as graves that fall outside of a formal burial ground (managed by a local authority i.e. the municipality).
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) is the national institution that has been legislatively mandated to care for, conserve and manage the burial grounds and graves of the country. The relevant authorisations, permits and permissions are to be acquired prior to any burial grounds being adversely impacted on and or affected in the course of development. The national policy on the conservation of burial grounds graves requires that best practice methodologies be implemented by archaeologists in the management, protection and relocation of graves and human remains.
The process of relocating graves from their original place or site of burial, management and preservation begins with an extensive public and stakeholder engagement process. The process of acquiring a permit requires that the relevant landowner grant consent for the graves to be exhumed, the local municipality provide consent for their exhumation, the provincial department of health for their exhumation and reinterment, the local south African police (SAPS) be notified, the descendants of the deceased be identified and provide written consent to the relocation of their ancestral and/ family graves.
The repatriation of human remains outside of the country of South Africa requires the same legislative processes of consent where human remains are concerned for liberation struggle hero's as well as military veterans.
REACH Archaeology assists a variety of clients, public entities, institutions, consultants, communities and individuals with the relevant research, public engagement process and the acquiring of the relevant permits, authorisations and permits to ethically relocate graves in line with the legislation. Contact us today! Let us help you Reach....your families, ancestors, projects goals, targets, deadlines....
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