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World renowned Wits Sterkfontein Caves reopen

- Wits University

Wits University announces the reopening of one of humanity’s most important palaeontological sites to the public.

The world-renowned Wits Sterkfontein Caves reopen to the public from 15 April 2025. This development marks a new chapter for one of humanity's most important palaeontological sites, as it transitions to full management under Wits University. (Download the Media Pack)

Importance of the site

Located within the Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site near Johannesburg, the Sterkfontein Caves have yielded some of the most important hominin fossil discoveries including the iconic "Mrs Ples" (1947) and "Little Foot" (1997) in addition to the hundreds of other fossils of human relatives. These discoveries have been crucial to informing the global understanding of human evolution and the origins of humanity.

New research and educational experience

Whilst previously serving primarily as a tourist destination, attracting thousands of international and local visitors, the reimagined Wits Sterkfontein Caves will offer a more immersive research and educational experience, bringing visitors closer to the science that has defined the site for nearly 100 years.

"This reopening represents a significant evolution in how we share the story of human origins," says Professor Nithaya Chetty, Dean of the Wits Faculty of Science. "Visitors now have unique opportunities to engage with active live science and research, all happening in real time."

Under the new management structure, Dr Job Kibii will serve as the Head of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves, overseeing daily operations and visitor experiences, while Professor Dominic Stratford will continue to lead research activities as the research permit holder. (Read their full biographies below.)

The enhanced visitor experience will feature:

  • Direct interactions with scientists and students conducting research,
  • Behind-the-scenes access to fossil preparation laboratories,
  • Guided tours of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves with enhanced scientific context,
  • Educational programmes focused on human evolution and palaeoanthropology, as well as other scientific disciplines in the Earth Sciences, such as Climate Science and Geosciences, and
  • Exhibits showcasing the latest discoveries and research findings.

Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University, says: "The reopening of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves represents an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and the public’s understanding of science. By making science more accessible, we hope to inspire the next generation of researchers while helping everyone connect more deeply with our shared human story."

Importance of the Caves

Since taking over the management of the Sterkfontein site in 1966, Wits University's researchers have made countless contributions to the study of human evolution. The University houses the world's largest repository of hominin fossils, many of which were discovered in the Wits Sterkfontein Caves.

The limestone caves, formed many millions of years ago, have preserved critical evidence of our relatives as their remains fell into the deep caves through tall, narrow shafts. For more than three million years, the remains of hominins and many other animals living on the Cradle of Humankind landscape have accumulated underground in huge deposits, creating a fossil record spanning several million years of human evolution.

The Wits Sterkfontein Caves hold exceptional universal value which led to their designation as part of the Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Their scientific importance cannot be overstated, as they continue to yield new discoveries that shape our understanding of who we are and where we come from. The management, researchers and tour facilitators of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves will continue to work closely with the Cradle of Humankind Management Authority and the South African Heritage Resources Agency to ensure that the proper preservation of the site.  

The opening of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves aligns with Wits University's commitment to excellence in research and education, building on the legacy of prominent Wits palaeoanthropologists like the late Professor Phillip Tobias and Professor Ronald Clarke, whose work at the Wits Sterkfontein Caves fundamentally advanced our understanding of human origins.

“Africa gave the world humanity; Africa gave the world its first human culture and that is no small feat” - Emeritus Professor Phillip Tobias

 

 

沙巴体育官网_2024欧洲杯博彩app@ the Wits Sterkfontein Caves

The Wits Sterkfontein Caves is a dolomite cave system that formed about 20 to 30 million years ago. It consists of a series of underground chambers and passageways with a total mapped cave system of over 2.5 kilometres. The Wits Sterkfontein Caves are situated 50km northwest of Johannesburg within the UNESCO Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The cave system has yielded revolutionary palaeosciences discoveries, including "Mrs Ples" (1947) and the nearly complete "Little Foot" skeleton (1994-1998), alongside over 700 hominid specimens dating back 3,67 million years is now under the sole management of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University).

For over a century, Wits University has been a leading African institution renowned for its academic excellence and pioneering research. The University's stewardship of Sterkfontein enhances its distinguished record in the palaeosciences whilst complementing broader research strengths in digital technology, health sciences, and engineering. With research output increasing by 45% in recent years, Wits continues to produce globally competitive, locally relevant scientific discoveries through its management of this extraordinary site where humanity's origins continue to be revealed.

Visit https://sterkfonteincaves.wits.ac.za/ and read more about:

Wits Sterkfontein Caves

 

 

Biographies

 

Dr Job Kibii, Head of the Wits Sterkfontein CavesDr Job Kibii is the new Head of the Wits Sterkfontein Caves as from 1 April 2025.

Dr Job Kibii is a product of Wits University and Sterkfontein Caves (now the Wits Sterkfontein Caves). He obtained his Master of Science and Doctorate degrees in 2000 and 2005 respectively, analysing fossils from Sterkfontein caves under the supervision and mentorship of Professors Ronald Clarke and Kathleen Kuman. He was the first indigenous African to obtain a doctorate in Palaeoanthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand. During his doctoral studies, he discovered crucial hominin specimens from the Wits Sterkfontein Caves, one of which changed our understanding of the evolution of the human pelvis. Other hominin specimens became part of the materials that formed the core of global collaboration in producing co-authored books; “Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa” in 2020, and “The Paleoenvironments of Sterkfontein: Old Questions, New Approaches” in 2022.

Between 2008 and 2012, as a researcher at the Institute of Human Evolution (IHE) which later became the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI), he was a co-permit holder and director of excavations at the Malapa Caves. He was in the original team that led to the discovery of Australopithecus sediba and associated fauna. During his leadership in the Malapa excavation, numerous Australopithecus sediba specimens were recovered, which continue to draw scientists to South Africa and Wits specifically. Between 2012 and 2018, he was the permit holder of the Gondolin site, also within the Cradle of Humankind, where additional fossils were recovered, adding to the heritage of South Africa. In both the Malapa and Gondolin sites, he directed two international field schools comprising staff and students from the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Switzerland, National Museums of Kenya, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Between 2016 and 2021, he joined the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) as the Head of Paleontology. One of the highlights during his tenure at NMK was sourcing funds and organising an NMK-Wits training symposium in 2016, which was held at NMK and brought together students and staff from ESI for skills exchange in casting, fossil preparation, micro CT scanning, digitisation, data management, fieldwork, and curatorship.

Between 2022 and 2024, he joined Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) as the Coordinator of Plio/Pleistocene Paleontology and related earth Sciences, and Acting Director of Research and Science, during which time TBI enhanced links with Turkana University College (TUC) to offer Kenya’s first Master’s degree in Human Evolutionary Biology.

Dr Kibii also serves on the GENUS DSI-NRF CoE-Palaeo Research Advisory Committee.

 

 

Professor Dominic Stratford, research permit holder at the Wits Sterkfontein Caves

Professor Dominic Stratford is a Lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at Wits University.

He is the research permit holder at the Wits Sterkfontein Caves.

He investigates the site formation and stratigraphy of archaeological and palaeoanthropological sites in southern Africa. Most of his work focuses on site formation processes in caves and rock shelters.

His work applies a broad suite of multi-scale quantitative and qualitative methods to reconstruct the formation history of deposits that range in age from tens of thousands to millions of years.

As part of his role at the Wits Sterkfontein Caves, he coordinates a large international team of specialists working on the diverse archaeological and palaeoanthropological collections from previous and continuing excavations.

 

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