News - Maropeng

Kimberleigh Tommy’s curiosity about the past started with a childhood fascination with Egypt. The idea of piecing together the story of a people by carefully examining what they left behind was intriguing. But was this a viable career option for her? She didn’t think so. However, Tommy, now a fully fledged biological anthropologist, proved herself wrong. She has just been appointed curator at the Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves Visitor Centres.

Maropeng’s intrepid curator, Keneiloe Molopyane, has dived fearlessly into caves and oceans in search of answers to one of humankind’s most intriguing questions: “Where do we come from?” Yet, despite her adventures, she counts her journey to her doctorate as among her most daunting challenges.

We’ve put together an FAQ to help you plan your trip to our sites in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site in Gauteng, South Africa.

Are you scrambling to find interesting ways to keep your children busy during the lockdown? Here’s a look at some of our favourite ideas from around the world.

Human rights are the moral compass that has been guiding and nurturing human civilisation for centuries. They exist to encourage freedom of expression, ensure that people have access to basic necessities and protect us from all kinds of injustices.

Since opening to the public back in 2005, Maropeng has fulfilled more than just its mandate of collecting, preserving and exhibiting items of historical importance.

The author Ayn Rand wrote that “the beauty of the human body is that it hasn’t a single muscle which doesn’t serve its purpose … there’s not a line wasted”. Find out more about the scientific marvel that is the human body at the fascinating #ANATOMY100 public outreach exhibit, which runs at Maropeng from 23 September to 5 October 2019.

What better way to spoil the mom in your life this Mother’s Day than with a delicious lunch at Maropeng’s Tumulus Restaurant?

Inez Maria Chapman Waugh, the Vice President of Cuba, visited Maropeng with a delegation of 28 guests on Saturday 30 April for a tour of the Almost Human and Long March to Freedom exhibitions.

The statue of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jnr, American civil rights and social justice activist, revolutionary leader, Baptist minister and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has been added to the Long March to Freedom exhibition at Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind.

Thanks to a choice of two distinctly different venues, Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind, is ideally positioned to offer conferencing for large groups of delegates or for more intimate gatherings – an hour’s drive from Pretoria or Johannesburg.

It’s already that time of the year again. School holidays are here and parents need to find activities to keep the children entertained. If you’re looking for things to do, then Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind, is the best place to visit.

Nelson and Winnie Mandela, married for almost 40 years, symbolised the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. “My love for her remains undiminished,” said Nelson Mandela on 13 April 1992 when he announced to the world his separation from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The couple legally divorced a few years later.

Ruth Heloise First and Joe Slovo (born Yossel Mashel Slovo) married in 1949. Husband and wife were leaders of the war to end apartheid in South Africa. Communists, scholars, parents and uncompromising militants, they were the perfect enemies for the white police state. Together they were swept up in the growing resistance to apartheid, and together they experienced repression and exile.

Victoria Nonyamezelo and Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge paid the supreme price for defending the rights of oppressed South Africans to exist in conditions of freedom, justice, peace and democracy. As husband and wife, they forfeited family life in pursuit of a non-racial, non-sexist, free and fair South Africa for all. Their brutal killings at the hands of state assassins galvanised oppressed South Africans into vigorous action to bring about liberation in South Africa.

Walter Sisulu and Nontsikelelo Albertina Thethiwe were born in small rural villages in Transkei, in the Eastern Cape. They met in 1941 in Johannesburg. He was a young lawyer and political activist and she a nurse. They would go on to spend more than three decades committed to each other in love and life.

Adelaide Frances Tshukudu met Oliver Reginald Tambo in Johannesburg at a meeting at the Eastern Township branch of the African National Congress. She was a nurse at the Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto, and Oliver a rising ANC politician and partner in the first South African black law practice with Nelson Mandela.

Professor Ron Clarke talked to us about the significance of the most complete Australopithecus skeleton ever found. “Little Foot” was unveiled at Maropeng for an event on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit last week.

A striking ballet performance, a whirlwind virtual tour and historic handprints were all part of a special BRICS event at Maropeng. The visit via satellite link was included in the BRICS Summit, which took place in Johannesburg this week.

Winter is in full swing and will be with us for some time. But while it may be icy out there, that’s really no reason to hibernate. You’re invited to come out and play. Come and visit the Cradle of Humankind to try out the following five fun things to do this winter.

The digital age has many benefits, but have we considered the way increasing amounts of screen time affect our health and wellbeing?

From a trail run, to the Easter bunny to a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party - we have a series of special treats lined up for you this Easter.

Enjoy a Valentine’s Day getaway to one of the most historic and beautiful destinations in Gauteng. It’s bound to be memorable.

If you’re trying to find ways to keep that “get fit” New Year’s resolution, perhaps the best way is to find enjoyable activities to break up those regular gym visits. Here’s one fun fitness activity to diarise for the end of January …