Durban - Members of the Qwabe community on the North Coast have dismissed objections to a development near the world-famous Sibudu Cave site, saying they have never benefited from educational and tourism activities conducted there, whereas the development would bring jobs and social upliftment to the area.
Academics and archaeological experts want the KwaZulu-Natal government to do more to protect the cave, near Tongaat, which they believe is under threat from the planned Wewe Driefontein mixed zone development.
The cave, which is believed to hold answers about early human behaviour, was discovered in 1967.
Evidence of relatively modern technology found during excavations include the earliest bone arrow and bone needle, which date from about 66 000 years ago.
Sibudu, which is under the Qwabe Traditional Authority, is protected by Amafa, but Friends of Sibudu and the Sibudu Trust feel that the provincial heritage body does not do enough to recognise the vulnerability of the cave.
Local headman Dumisani Mfeka said the community had never benefited from the educational activities at the cave.
“We only recently became aware that they were conducting excavations and educational tours.
“Only the Ndasa family knew of these activities because they live next to the cave,” Mfeka said.
He said the planned development was going to empower the whole community through job opportunities, housing and the development of schools.
“Of course we would like to see the cave preserved, but if no one from the community benefits from its existence then we can’t prioritise it over the things I have mentioned, “ Mfeka said.
The village has an unemployment rate of about 70 percent and some children have to walk more than 10km to get to school.
In April, KDC Projects and Developments was granted authorisation for construction of the Wewe Driefontein development which is going to include a shopping centre, 4 000 low- cost houses and schools.
Proximity
Last month the Friends of Sibudu and the Sibudu Trust appealed against the proximity of the development to the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Friends of Sibudu’s Noreen Ramsden said they were not against the development but were “opposing the size and extent of the low-cost houses development so close to the rock shelter archaeology dig”.
The global body The International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences is also against the development of the land close to the cave.
According to the organisation’s general secretary, Professor Luiz Oosterbeek, Sibudu fulfilled the requirements for a Unesco World Cultural Heritage site because it was a cornerstone for understanding of the behavioural origins of modern humans.
“Sibudu is not only an important place for South Africans, but is a scientific and cultural treasure for all of the world’s people,” Oosterbeek said.
Dr Matthew Skinner, Biological Anthropology lecturer at the University of Kent, in the UK, has also called for protection of the cave to be prioritised.
“This development seems particularly invasive and potentially threatens the scientific integrity of what is one of the most important sites in the world for reconstructing our recent evolutionary past,” he said.
KDC Projects’ Themba Tshutsha said they were also keen on the preservation of the cave and had engaged with academics and the government on the matter.
“We gave them a buffer zone that is over 400m and promised to help rehabilitate the area by planting indigenous trees,” he said.
Tshutsha said they resented the allegations made in the appeal that they did not engage the community on their project.
“We have not broken any law; in fact, they are the ones who went behind the community’s back and used the cave for their benefit without permission from the tribal authority and the government.
“We’ve submitted our response and call for their appeal to be dismissed,” he said.
Tshutsha said they were not against the appellants buying the property from them, but engagements with stakeholders would need to take place for that to happen.
The Mercury