Stellenbosch University (SU) has extended and deepened its community participation process regarding the site previously known as Hardekraaltjie cemetery on its Tygerberg campus.

The cemetery, which was in use from 1909 to 1946, had a central place in the then Tiervlei community, which was subjected to forced removals under the Group Areas Act of the apartheid regime. SU became the owner of a portion of the land in 1971 when the then Parow municipality transferred it to the University.

The historic cemetery extends across sections of land owned or controlled by SU, Tygerberg hospital (the Western Cape Government Health Department through the Department of Public Works), and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).

“The initiative is aimed at restitution," says Dr Leslie van Rooi, SU's senior director of Transformation and Social Impact. “The University is committed to, in consultation with amongst others members of the affected communities, to erect a memorial installation at the site of the cemetery, which would remind us of a past when the dignity of the people in the area was tragically violated. The process will be guided by SU's Visual Redress Policy, which emphasises restitution, inclusivity and cohesion in the University's visual, cultural and symbolic activities."

The ongoing community participation will involve several stakeholders, including Tygerberg hospital, PRASA, members of local communities and the Tiervlei community, and Heritage Western Cape. SU and the Tygerberg hospital has committed to a restorative process to decide how the cemetery site and those buried there would be memorialised. And this will be done as part of ongoing consultation with the other mentioned stakeholders.

This follows initial consultations with the relevant stakeholders and members of the broader historic Tiervlei community whose ancestors were buried at the cemetery, which pointed to a need to collect oral, archival and other historical information. The process is being led by Prof Aslam Fataar from SU's Department of Education Policy Studies, currently also linked to the Transformation Portfolio, and Dr Handri Walters from the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, in close consultation with Mr Chefferino Fortuin and members of the community.

“Over the years, the University has received requests from members of the Tiervlei community to understand what happened in the area and visit the burial ground site. This is something we would like to enable," says Dr Therese Fish, vice-dean of Clinical Services and Social Impact in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. “Contributing to this process would also be in line with our faculty's mission of, among others, co-creating value with and for the communities we serve."

Remembrance event

As a start, on Heritage Day (Friday 24 September 2021), the University hosted a remembrance and community engagement event at the Tygerberg campus. The aim was for the relevant SU entities, Tygerberg hospital and the community of Tiervlei, to share their stories about Hardekraaltjie cemetery. 

• Click here for an article​ on the remembrance event.
  

According to Van Rooi, a section of the University's part of the property has been cordoned off for some years already. The University will take its cue from these engagements to take joint decisions with other relevant stakeholders on the way forward.

Research project

“As so many questions still need answering, the University will be guided by this consultative process, which will also be research-led, to collect all relevant information about the cemetery's history as well as the remains of those buried here, and the remains that may have been removed and re-interred elsewhere," says Fataar, who is also part of the project steering committee.

“Among the research questions that need to be answered is how many people's remains were indeed unearthed and how many are possibly still buried in the area. Importantly, the link, if any, between the removal of the Tiervlei community and the building of the hospital and the campus will also be researched," he adds.

“Ultimately, we are committed to an engaged and fully consultative process to restore the dignity of those buried at the cemetery and the community that it served. We want to end up with a site of restorative memory and healing." 

• For more information, contact Prof Aslam Fataar at afataar@sun.ac.za.
• Click here for an article on the remembrance event 
  

END

​