Human remains believed to be linked to the Khoi or San people were recently uncovered in the Dubai informal settlement in Hermanus, turning what began as a recovery operation into a startling archaeological and police discovery.
The remains were discovered during a cleanup operation following harsh storms last week organised by the Land Party. The resident of the property in which they were discovered is believed to have been repairing his Wendy house after it was affected by the recent floods. This is according to Onke Dabile, a member of the Land Party.
The remains were discovered at 11:48 on Thursday next to the sewage dams in the area.
In an official statement released on Facebook by the Land Party on Thursday 21 May, upon being made aware of the remains, its leadership immediately alerted the police who went to the scene with a district surgeon.
Law officials say that the matter is not criminal and that the bones are very old.
Thereafter, contact was made with the heritage department in Cape Town and the bones were collected and handed in according to law officials. They will be collected by the heritage department.
The people at the scene of the discovery reacted with shock and those around the area have been negatively impacted by it, according to Dabile.
The exact age and details of the remains are currently unknown.
However, members of the party say that they were not particularly surprised by the discovery as they believe that the remains could be linked to one of the locals who was reported missing but was never found 20 plus years ago.
The cleanup began immediately following the devastating storms between 10 to 12 May where many houses were left flooded or destroyed.
This is a developing story.
