Maropeng à Afrika Leisure (Pty) Ltd

Maropeng a’Afrika and the Cradle of Humankind The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and Dinokeng are initiatives of the Gauteng Provincial Government to establish geo-spatial tourism destinations in the north-west and the north-east of the province, close to the densely populated metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. There are 663 tourism attractions in the two destinations (a remarkable growth since 2003 when there were only 163 tourism establishments). The projects promote economic growth and social upliftment, relieving the burden of poverty, particularly for historically-disadvantaged communities living in and around the two destinations. The Cradle of Humankind is one of eight World Heritage Sites in South Africa, and the only one in Gauteng. It is widely recognised as the place from which all of humankind originated. The world-renowned Sterkfontein Caves is home to the oldest and most continuous paleaontological dig in the world. It is also the site of discovery of the famous pre-human skull affectionately known as “Mrs Ples”, and an almost complete hominid skeleton called “Little Foot”, dated 2.3 and 4.17 million years old respectively. No one knows what still lies hidden in the rocks of the Sterkfontein Caves and other sites. The World Heritage Site status the area now enjoys ensures that what is deep within its core will be protected and explored forever.