Oudtshoorn, where 500 Polish children and their carers evacuated from Siberia had found shelter in 1943, saw the unveiling of a monument in their memory. The event was attended by representatives of the local authorities, the clergy, and the Polish community in South Africa.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mościcka-Dendys met with the last survivors of those events and the refugees’ descendants who continue to pass down from one generation to the next Polish traditions and the dramatic history of their families. The deputy minister also visited a local cemetery where some of Poland’s wartime emigrants in South Africa had been laid to rest.

Addressing Deputy President Mateusz Szpytma, PhD, of the Institute of National Remembrance, Undersecretary Mościcka-Dendys expressed gratitude to that institution for its financial support, which had been instrumental in bringing the monument to existence. Her thanks also went to Stefan Szewczuk, President of ​the Polish Association of Siberian Deportees in South Africa, for his determination in bringing the project to a successful ​completion.

“We have gathered here in Oudtshoorn today to make sure that the memory of the Polish refugees from Siberia who had found safe haven​ in this town in 1943 lives on. Their story not only exemplifies the tragedy of Poles during World War II, but also conveys hope and testifies to how bridges were built between South Africa and Poland by everyone who had been received here with kindness and had chosen Africa to be their home,” Deputy Minister Mościcka-Dendys said.

A visit to the CP Nel Museum in Oudtshoorn with its collection documenting the history of Poles from Siberia in South Africa inaugurated the Polish Heritage Trail featuring about a dozen locations linked with the Polish refugees, such as the Oudtshoorn Cathedral or a unique suspended bridge.

While in South Africa, Deputy Minister Mościcka-Dendys also met with the Polish community in Cape Town, including members of the Polish Association ​in Cape Town, in uninterrupted operation for 76 years now, and the emerging Polish Success Club.

She also visited the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre and spoke with Director Jakub Nowakowski about historical education and the Home Sweet Home exhibition about Polish Jews, which is due to open this October and will be on display until January 2026.