Unsung Heroes
- Julia Evans - Daily Maverick
Itumeleng Molefe follows in his father’s footsteps to unearth the links to humanity’s deep past.
Molefe has one of those jobs that you probably have never heard of, but it is at the core of understanding and unearthing — literally — who we are as humans and how we’ve evolved.
Like his father before him, Molefe is a fossil technician at the Sterkfontein Caves, a dolomite cave system formed between 20 and 30 million years ago. Part of the Unesco-listed Cradle of Humankind, northwest of Johannesburg, the caves contain one of the richest collections of hominin fossils in the world.
Fossil technicians are behind the scenes of many major palaeoanthropological discoveries, responsible for much of the careful excavation, preparation and curation of fossil material, working closely with local and international researchers.
“I would say, generally speaking, fossil preparators are the foundation on which all of our sciences are based,” said Professor Dominic Stratford, a geoarchaeology lecturer at Wits University and research permit holder at the Sterkfontein Caves. “Without fossil preparators, there would be no fossils, no material to analyse.”
Like many at the Sterkfontein Caves, Molefe comes from a line of fossil technicians.
“My cousin’s father worked here; he was the first person to work here in our family,” said Molefe. “And after that, he brought my father here.”
His father, Nkwane Molefe, became a fossil technician in 1972 and worked at the Swartkrans and Sterkfontein caves for 40 years. Read the full article published by the Daily Maverick.
