KZN site on route to be inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List
From the 21st to the 31st of July the World Heritage Committee will hold their annual session in New Delhi (India) to discuss, amongst other matters, the new properties to be inscribed in the World Heritage Site List.
Two South African serial nominations will be discussed between the 26th and the 29th of July. The two serial nominations are “The Emergence of Modern Human iBehaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa” (EMHB) and “The Human Rights Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites“(HRLR:NMLS).
A serial nomination is composed by more than one component. More specifically, in the case of the EMHB, three archaeological sites between KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are part of the nomination. In the case of the HRLR: NMLS ten sites across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and Eastern Cape are part of the nomination.
More specifically, ‘The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour’ nomination includes the three Middle Stone Age of Sibhudu Cave in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal and Diepkloof Rock Shelter and Pinnacle Point Site Complex, both in the Western Cape. “These sites display a suite of evidence of the emergence of modern human behaviour dating from as early as 162 000 years, displaying the development of more complex cognitive abilities in our ancestor”, said the Chief Executive Officer of KZN Amafa and Research Institute, Dr Dlamuka.
The country, with KZN Amafa and Research Institute and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, have been working on the inscription of these three components (one site) as world heritage site since 2015 and the nation and the provinces are now proud to be able to bring Sibhudu Cave, along with Pinnacle Point Site Complex and Diepkloof Rock Shelter, in front of the World to recognise their outstanding universal significance.
Sibhudu Cave is a shelter positioned in a steep, forested cliff that overlooks the uThongathi River. The site was first excavated in the early 80s, but excavation resumed more significantly from the late 1990s and it continues today.
The finding at Sibhudu Cave, dated between about 100 000 and 38 000 years ago, include evidence of the use of personal ornamentation very early in the archaeological record, through the use of shell beads, which were most likely used for body decoration and ornamentation. Additionally, at Sibhudu Cave archaeologist uncovered arrowheads, which are a proxy for some of the earliest evidence for the use of bow and arrow technology, which is evidence of the ability of our ancestors at Sibhudu Cave to multi-task and think abstractly.
Sibhudu Cave also displays some of the world’s oldest evidence of use of bedding and of medicinal plants. Overall, the suite of evidence from Sibhudu Cave places the site as one of the most significant in South Africa and in the world to understand the development of modern human behaviour and the history of our common ancestor.
While the site is currently not open to the public, plans are being developed to ensure that the public will be able to access the site either digitally or physically in the not so far future, contributing therefore to boost the local economy, create jobs and foster social cohesion
