Ancient fossils attract tourists

IT has been described as the most important archaeological discovery of the 21st century. Homo naledi, a new species of human ancestor, made international headlines when it was announced to the world late last year.

The skeletons were found in an underground chamber of the Rising Star cave in October 2013, 1.5km from the Sterkfontein caves.

Palaeontologist and archaeologist Professor Lee Berger and his team of 60 scientists, who made the discovery, place H naledi at the start of the human genus and believe that the discovery will probably reveal more about the beginnings of humankind.

An excited Gauteng premier David Makhura went to “meet” the fossil in September.

“H naledi gives us back our humanity. It reaffirms that we all as human beings have a common ancestry, which is important in these times of war and world unrest.

“They may look different, but we are all connected. H naledi has a wonderful story to tell,” Makhura

SKULL AND BONES: Palaeontologist Professor Lee Berger with premier David Makhura and a ‘Homo naledi’ skull was quoted as saying by local media at the time.

On Monday, the premier described the discovery as a “game-changer” for the province, especially in the area of tourism.

“The discovery of H naledi not only points to the unique and significant role that Africa plays in the origins and development of humankind but is also a game-changer,” Makhura said.

“We congratulate Professor Lee Berger and his team of palaeoscientists from the University of the Witwatersrand for this major sci- entific discovery. H naledi has massive positive implications for tourism in the city region and in particular the Cradle of Mankind, Maropeng,” he said.

The premier noted that the number of visitors to Maropeng had more than tripled to 150 000 in the month that H naledi was on display.

“We are now going to fully exploit the tourism potential of Maropeng to promote tourism in the Western Corridor.”

Over the next three years, Makhura said, the province would expand infrastructure around Maropeng.