Reflections on the sediba fossil discovery

Professor Phillip Tobias, Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand

Scientists, scholars, professors, members of parliament and ordinary South Africans gathered at Maropeng in the Cradle of Humankind today to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Reader of Evolution at the University of Witwatersrand, Professor Lee Berger, was proudly showing off the 1.6-million-old hominid fossil he and his nine-year-old-son discovered at the Malapa cave in the World Heritage Site two years ago.

This almost complete skeleton has been named Australopithecus sediba. Sediba means “fountain”, “well”, or “spring” in Sotho.

We chatted to attendees at the unveiling of sediba to see what they had to say about the fossils and their discovery.

“It’s wonderful to be able to experience this day. I hope that we find more hominids in future so that more young people can get employment. With more finds, more jobs will be created for people like us castors, painters and excavators.” – Mabote Louw, castor

“This is a really incredible find. It is a wonderful opportunity to witness finds of this nature, they are so rare. I am honoured to be here because things like these don’t happen every day.” – Brigette Cohen, Honours student, Wits

“Today is what we all dream about. Working on material like this is amazing. It is an honour for me to be part of the team of scientists that have discovered this.” – Dr Robyn Pickering, scientist, University of Melbourne

“I am one of the people that saw this fossil even before the professor saw it. I am proud to be part of these amazing excavators. I hope that we will get new fossils in the future.” – Meshack Kgasi, preparator

“When we were digging we thought that we would just find smaller fossils. When we got the Sedibe fossil we were all taken aback. I hope that young black youth can come to sites and learn about the fossils, because we have a very rich country.” – Danny Mithi, excavator

“I am so excited about the new find. I am one of the people making copies of the fossil to send to schools and museums around the world. Just knowing that more people will learn about our finds fills me with joy.” – Bongani Nkosi, castor

“This is a very significant day for South Africans. The discovery confirms the view that the Cradle contains prolific evidence that humankind evolved from Africa. It also changes our understanding of palaeontology. The Sedibe fossil will also enhance tourism in South Africa, especially during the FIFA 2010 World Cup™. People will want to know more about their ancestors and origins and will come here; it will generate money for us.” – Fana Jiyane, CEO, Cradle of Humankind

“I am so thrilled about the new fossil. Africa is full of lots of treasures. I hope that in the years to come we find more treasures here. Congratulations to the scientists who discovered this.” – Professor Phillip Tobias, Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand