Ukuqala Komgede we-Sterkfontein

Indawo Yasendulo Ebalulekile

©Jacques Marais

Ngaphambi kokuba isithonjana esbalulekile esidumile umhlaba wonke, amaSterkfontein Caves ahlanganiswe futhi angaziwa, afihliwe phansi kwepulazi laseSwartkrans esigodini saseMloukrans emfuleni wase Cradle of Humankind. Ngaleso sikhathi, kwakungekho okuningi ukutusa isifunda ngaphandle kwabalimi abathile abalalayo kanye nezinkomo zabo ezingenamikhono. Kodwa izinto zase zizoshintsha kuze kube phakade ngoba kwakukhona igolide kuzo izintaba.
Imibiko yokuqala ethembekile yegolide eWitwatersrand ibhasi yafika ngonyaka ka-1852 lapho umbhali waseBrithani okuthiwa uJohn Henry Davis wabika ukutholakala epulazini lePaardekraal (okwathi kamuva laba iKrugersdorp okwathi kamuva laba nguMogale City). Ngonyaka olandelayo, uPieter Jacob Marais (ummeli wokuqala wegolide waseNingizimu Afrika waseRephabhuliki) naye wathola igolide eJukskei naseCrocodile Rivers, enyakatho yohlu lwamanje. Kodwa futhi akutholakali ukuthi isifuba somcebo sifihle phansi ngaphansi komhlaba, ikakhulukazi ngoba ulwazi lwangaleso sikhathi luthi igolide litholakala emifuleni.
Ngo-1874, uHenry Lewis wathola igolide elisemfuleni waseBlaaubank eduze nalokho okwakungaba yiDolobha laseMagaliesberg kanye neNil Desperandum Co-operative Quartz Inkampani eseduzane ngokushesha - inkampani yokuqala yegolide yezimayini ukuba ixakeke kakhulu eWitwatersrand. Khona-ke, ngo-1881, kutholakala umkhombe omncane eKromdraai eCradle futhi, eminyakeni embalwa, iKhredraai Gold Mining Company yakhiwa futhi ingxenye yepulazi yabizwa ngokumba.

I-Main Reef

©David Fleminger

Ngo-1886, i-Main Reef yayitholakali futhi inani legolide eliphuma eBlaaubank naseKromdraai lalingabonakali likhokhwa futhi ngo-1912, imayini yegolide eCradle yayiphelile kakhulu ngo-1912. Namuhla, emayini yegolide yaseBlaaubank futhi imayini yegolide yaseKromdraai ivulekile emphakathini futhi ingavakashelwa.
Kodwa ukumbiwa kwezimayini kwaqhubeka kwaba nomthelela omkhulu ku-Cradle ngoba, noma ngabe amadwala ayengenawo igolide, ayenakho okudingekayo ngemisebenzi emikhulu yezimayini zeWitwatersrand: i-lime. I-alkaline enamandla, i-lime yayisetshenziselwa ekwakhiweni kwesimenti, nasenqubo ye-extraction yegolide ye-MacArthur-Forrest, lapho ingakwazi khona ukunciphisa i-cyanide acid eqinile eyayisetshenziselwa ukudweba izinhlayiya zegolide eziyigugu emadwaleni e-rock bearing bearing conglomerate.
Ngenhlanhla, eminingi emaphandleni aseCradle kwakunezinhlayiya ezinkulu, ezingashushumbisa emanzini ukuze zikhiqize umcako ohlaza okwenziwe ngamayini. Lokhu kwanikeza le ndawo ithuba lokubili ekuchumeni futhi ngolunye usuku ngo-1896, isisebenzi esisebenza ngeqhwa okuthiwa u-Guglielmo Martinaglia sasivule umnyango womhume owawubukeka sengathi u-Kromdraai.

Umgede we-Kromdraai

©Roger de la Harpe

Phakathi neminyaka eyalandela, i-Kromdraai Caves (kamuva ebizwa ngokuthi i-Sterkfontein) neminye eminye imifula kule ndawo yayidayiswa kakhulu nge-limestone. Ngakho amahlumela amakhulu amatshe aqothulwa emhumeni futhi ashiswa emanzini amachibi, aqothula izinsalela eziningi ezibalulekile kule nqubo. Owokuqala ukuphikisana nalokhu kwakuyi-geologist ephayona ebizwa ngokuthi uDavid Draper, owabika ukuthi amaphekula eKromdraai ayebanesithakazelo esikhulu sezwe futhi kufanele avikelwe kubavukuzi.
Ngenhlanhla, othile olalele nokuthungula wayephelile ekamelweni eliyinhloko laseSterkfontein ukuvikela amachibi amnandi kanye nolwandle oluphansi. Noma kunjalo, izimayini zaqhubeka kwezinye izindawo amashumi ambalwa eminyaka. Namuhla, lapho uvakashela emaphandleni, uzobona ama-stalactites amaningana ahlukunyezwe ngokungazelelwe ngabavukuzi be-lime besikhathi esidlule.

Umgodi Wasendulo Enganqunyelwe Mthetho

Ngisho ngenkathi izimayini ziqhubeka, abantu base beqale ukubona izinsalela ezazivela emaphandleni futhi umnini wesayithi, uMnu Cooper, waze wavula ikamelo elincane letiye lapho athengisa khona izivakashi, ama-guano nama-fossil ezivakashi. Ngo-1935, uTrevor Jones wathola izinsalela ezithokozelayo emhumeni futhi lokhu kwafaka isithakazelo sikaGWH Scheepers noH le Riche, owamemezela ngokuqondile umzingeli owaziwayo uRobert Broom.
Lapho i-Broom ehambela emaphandleni ngo-1936, ngokushesha yabona inani lePalaeontological lesayithi futhi yacela inkosikazi yokugaya ukuba ibuke noma yiziphi izinsalela ezithakazelisayo. Lokhu kwaholela ekutholakaleni kwezinsalela ezimbalwa ezibalulekile ze-hominid futhi, ngo-1947, ukutholakala okuphawulekayo kukaMnu. Ples.
Kodwa, naphezu kwezinsalela ezinenani eliyigugu zitholakala endaweni, iSterkfontein yayisemgodini wokuvubukula ongakahleleki, futhi ukufa kukaRobert Broom ngo-1951 kwaveza ubunzima emaphandleni. Ngaleso sikhathi, kwakungenalutho lokuxhasa imali futhi uHulumeni kaZwelonke wabonisa ukungavumelani okuphelele kokuziphendukela kwemvelo. Ngenxa yalokho, imihume yaba yinto embi kakhulu. Kwakungenxa yemizamo kaFiliphu Tobias waseYunivesithi yaseWitwatersrand ukuthi imihume yayigcinwe evuliwe, futhi ngo-1966, umndeni kaStegmann wanikeza isayithi eNyuvesi yaseWitwatersrand ukuze bakwazi ukwenza imisebenzi yabo.

Isayithi Elikhulu LamaHominidini

I-Wits University, esayinawo umhlaba namuhla, ngokushesha yavula iminyuziyamu encane futhi yamisa u-Alun Hughes njengomphathi wesayithi wokuqala (ukuze iphumelele nguRon Clarke ngo-1992). Futhi kwaqala ukuthi abavubukuli abade kunabo bonke emhlabeni bafuna ukumba endaweni yesigodi. Kuze kube manje, i-Sterkfontein inikeze izinsalela ezingaphezu kuka-700 ze-hominid ezandleni zamaPaleo-anthropologists abathanda kakhulu, okwenza kube indawo enkulu kakhulu ye-hominid emhlabeni.
Njengamanje, izinsalela ezitholwa nguBroom noRobinson zitholakala eMsakazweni weTransvaal, kuyilapho izinsalela ezitholwa nguThobias, uHughes noClarke zenziwa eWits. Omunye uthemba ukuthi ngelinye ilanga bazothola ukubuyela eSterkfontein lapho bangaboniswa khona ngokuphepha emphakathini.

Translated by Nsika Khoza