iUNESCO kunye ne The Cradle of Humankind

iWorld Heritage Site

©David Fleminger
i-The Cradle of Humankind (okanye iCOH, njengoko ndiqhele ukuyibiza) yaqala ukwaziswa ku luhlu lwe World Heritage List njengesiza esinenkcubeko ebalulekileyo ngomnyaka ka 1999, njenge siza esingunombolo 915. Ekuqaleni, yayidibanise malunga nemiqolomba engama 20 kwingingqi emalunga nama 47 000 yee hekthare ( kunye namanye ama 80 000 we hekthare ongezelelweyo omhlaba nosebenza njenge sithinteli se sokonakaliswa kule ndawo).
Esi siza sijongene nemiqolomba ese Sterkfontein, Kromdraai kunye nase Swartkrans, nemi kumgama omalunga nama 45 khilomitha zomntla-ntshona wase Johannesburg. Ubukhulu becala balomhlaba wase Cradle buse sezandleni zabucala, nto leyo ingaqhelekanga kwi World Heritage Site. Kodwa yona imiqolomba yase Sterkfontein iphantsi kwe Dyunivesithi yase Witwatersrand, emva kokuba lomhlaba wanikezelwa kule Dyunivesithu ngabanini bale fama bokqala.
Ngoku, uninzi lwabemi base Rhawutini lisenokuyazi Imiqolomba ye Sterkfontein kuba babeyityelela ngethuba besese sikolweni. Basenokuyikhumbula njenge ndawo ene senta yabatyeleli egugileyo, kwaye bangothuka ukufumanisa ukuba le Cradle yenze umdla kwi komiti ye UNESCO evamise ukungabina monde. Kodwa ke, kusekuninzi okunikisa umdla nochulumanco.

Lolwantoni Olu Chulumanco?

©David Fleminger
Njengoko ikomiti yeengcali esuka kwi khansila ye ICOMOS (esi sishunqulelo simele i-International Council of Monuments and Sites) yafumanisa kuhlolo lwayo: ‘Eli qela leziza lelinye lezona zibalulekileyo ehlabathini. Kwaye linika nokuqonda ngemvelaphi nokuphuhla kwabantu ukuza kufikelela kwindlela abayiyo namhlanje (Homo sapiens sapiens). Bavelise ubutyebi bee fosili/amathambo amadala abantu bokuqala ehlabathini, nabaziwa njenge hominids.
Awona mathambo madala abalelwa kwiminyaka ezizigidi ezi 3.5 eyadlulayo, kwakunye nezixhobo zabo kunye namathambo ezilwanyana. Uphando kule minyaka ingamashumi amathandathu idlulileyo ludlale indima ebalulekileyo ekusekeni ilizwekazi e Afrika njenge siqalo nemvelaphi yabantu bonke. Maninzi amathuba okuba kungaphinde kufunyanwe ezinye izinto ezinkulu ezinika umdla.”
Konke oku kulandelayo kwanela ukuba kufikelele kwinqanaba leSikhundla se World Heritage:
Ukuqulatha ubungqina benkcubeko ekhethekileyo okanye engaqhelekanga okanye indlela yokuphila kwabantu okanye esele yanyamalala.
Ukuba ngumzekelo ophume izandla wentlobo ethile yesakhiwo, indlela ekwakhiwe ngayo okanye ubuchule bokwenza izinto okanye umhlaba obonakalisa (a) izigaba ezibalulekileyo zembali yabantu.
Sibamba ngazibini ekufakweni kwale Cradle kuluhlu lwe UNESCO, le ngingqi ngoku isendleleni eya ekuzalweni ngokutsha. Isenta yabatyeleli kwi Miqolomba ye Sterkfontein sele iphuhlisiwe kanobom, kwaye ngoku iqhayisa nge ndawo yokutyela elungileyo, imuziyamu ephume izandla kunye nendlela okhatshwa ngayo uboniswe lemiqolomba ephuculiweyo.
Abasema gunyeni bakwachithe malunga nama R300 ezigidi besakha isenta yabatyeleli yodidi oluphezulu. Le senta ibizwa nge Maropeng, imi kumgama nje omfutshane ukusuka kwimiqolomba. Le yindawo enomtsalane ongenokuzisola ngokuya kuyo, nalapho abahambi banokukroba emva phaya kwixesha lamandulo logama bonwabele lendawo intle yase Cradle nangaphaya kwayo.
Kodwa eyona nto ichulumancisayo ngale Cradle kukuba ise sisiza ekusetyenzwa kuso, kwaye uninzi lwezitalato zamandulo zisa ngcwabeke ngaphantsi komhlaba zilindele ukufunyanwa. Uthotho lweengcali ngenzulu lwazi, archaeologists kunye nee palaeoanthropologists zisoloko zisomba kule ngingqi. Ezi ngcali zigubhulula amathambo/fosili asengu mnqa nanqabileyo (amathambo abantu kunye nawezilo ezikhulu). Ngokuye kufunyanwa amathambo/fosili kule ndawo, nokuqonda kwethu nge mvelaphi yobomi obuse Mhlabeni.

Ukwandiswa Kwe Cradle

©David Fleminger
Ngomnyaka ka 2005, igama le ‘Cradle of Humankind’ landiswa ukuze liquke iindawo ezimbini ezongezelelweyo nezazi dibene ne ngingqi yase Sterkfontein kodwa ngokomhlaba ibe ingadibenanga nale ngingqi. Ezi ziza zezi: Taung quarry, kufuphi ne Kimberley, kunye ne Makapansgat, kufutshane ne Pietersburg / Polokwane. Zozibini ezi ziza ziqulathe intlobo efanayo namatye afumaneka eSterkfontein (nacalulwa njenge Transvaal Supergroup), kwaye omabini aqulathe amathambo/fosili ezixabisekileyo.
La mathambo abubungqina bokuba abantu ababizwe nge hominids babehlala kule ndawo kangange sithuba seminyaka ezizigidi ezithathu ezine siqingatha, ukuba abazange bahlale ngaphezu koko.
Mhlawumbi eyona nto ingcono yokuba iCradle of Humankind ibizwe njenge World Heritage Site, kukuba inyanzelise abase magunyeni ukuba bahlele indlela efanelekileyo yolawulo nezakuqinisekisa ukuba lengingqi iqhuba ngokwemigaqo nendlela ecingelana noluntu olungqongileyo.Umzekelo, kwasekwa imigaqo eza kukhusela ubuhle bendalo yale ngingqi logama kukwa vunyelwa nophuhliso olwenziwa ngenkathalo.
Kucetywa inkqubo yokuquka noluntu ukuze kudalwe amathuba emisebenzi kwakhiwe nezindlu. Oku kwenzelwa ukuba abantu bale ngingqi babe nokuxhamla ngqo kuma qithi qithi aziswa lukhenketho kule ndawo yabo. Kuqulunqwa nobambiswano kunye norhulumente namashishini ukuqinisekisa ukuba le Cradle iyakwazi ukuhlala ingenisa imali ngalo lonke ixesha.
Zonke ezi ndaba zimnandi,zingaba ngumzekelo nakwezinye iinkqubo zokhenketho lwase Mzantsi Afrika. Ekugqibeleni ezi khenketho zingaba sisahlulelo phakathi kokulondoloza noku mosha. Ngoko ke, ukuba izinto aziphathwa ngenkathalo, kukho ubungozi obukhulu bokuba singatshabalalisa kanye ezi zinto abantu bazele ukuzozibona.

Translated by Zizipho Silwana