Prestwich Place bones find a final resting place

The remains of about 2500 people, including slaves and Khoisan, uncovered during building operations in Prestwich Street, Green Point, in 2004 were given a final resting place in a newly-built ossuary at St Andrew's Square. Prestwich Place (corner of Prestwich and Alfred Streets) is one of the few known and identifiable burial places of the time, which served the city's poor. Bones were also found underneath the Grand Parade in 1960 when the Post Office tunnel was dug. A few years later, a Vredehoek resident also found bones when building a new driveway on his property. Bones have also been found in Mechau Street, Chiappini Street, Buitengracht, Adderley Street and Milnerton beach. Last year bones were found where the new Greenpoint Stadium is being built. The Prestwich Place discovery led to emotional scenes. Dr. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture, made a decision that the bones could not be scientifically studied as it would upset some communities. After the discovery, archaeologists from UCT determined that the bones dated back to the 1800s and the site was declared a heritage site. After the bones were carefully recovered, they were locked up in the Woodstock Hospital's Mortuary. Tim Hart, one of the project co-ordinators and co-director of archaeology contracts for the University of Cape Town (UCT), said that after initial observations, the bones could be the remains of slaves because some had dental formations uncommon to the Cape and some were not buried in coffins, and instead huddled together in shallow holes. The Prestwich Place Project Committee appealed decisions by the South African Heritage Resources Agency to continue with excavation, but failed to stop the digging until all of the bones were removed.