The Draft National Policy Framework and the Exile Project (formerly known as the Exile Repatriation Project) present the opportune moment to discuss heritage in relation to South Africa’s memorial landscape, the representation of diversity, and the recognition of pluralised pasts. It evokes questions including, but not limited to:

• Who are the custodians of heritage?
• What is the role of public participation in heritage policy development?
• How is heritage memorialised in South Africa?

Meet the Speakers

We are honoured to be joined by an exceptional panel of experts whose work spans justice, memory, and heritage across the African continent.

Professor Ciraj Rassool
Senior Professor of History at the University of the Western Cape, Ciraj directs the Remaking Societies, Remaking Persons Supranational Forum and has led the African Programme in Museum and Heritage Studies since 2003. His research explores museums, restitution, and the politics of memory. He has published widely and served on numerous boards, including the District Six Museum, Iziko Museums, and UNESCO advisory committees.

Dr Nompilo Ndlovu
An Academic, Policy and Development Practitioner, Dr Ndlovu’s work focuses on transitional justice, youth development, gender, and oral histories. Her PhD examined memory and justice initiatives linked to the Gukurahundi atrocities in post-colonial Zimbabwe. She has lectured in the History Department at UCT and served as a Postdoctoral Fellow for History Access.

Piers Pigou
A seasoned human rights and transitional justice practitioner, Piers has worked with truth commissions in South Africa and East Timor since 1992. He has served with the International Center for Transitional Justice and currently consults for the International Crisis Group, focusing on political violence and justice in Southern Africa.

Anastasia Solomons
A Junior Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town, Anastasia specialises in transitional justice, memory politics, and human rights. She is pursuing a PhD in Political Studies at UCT, exploring how memory and institutionalised identities shape social erasure. She is a passionate voice in debates on reconciliation and social healing in South Africa.

Associate Professor Helen Scanlon
Convenor of the Justice and Transformation Programme at the University of Cape Town, Helen has extensive experience in gender justice, memorialisation, transitional justice, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. Through her teaching, writing, and community engagement, she bridges the gap between academia, policy, and survivors of conflict. She also leads the project documenting African experiences of Transitional Justice.

Join us in conversation as we unpack the genealogy of heritage policy, the return of remains, the politics of the archives, and the student-led Fallist movement in relation to monuments.

24 October 2025 | 12.30 SAST
Register here.