Gauteng’s MEC for Economic Development Qedani Mahlangu last night (12 March 2012) donated the fossils casts’ remains of the Australopithecus Sediba to the Berlin’s Museum fur Naturkunde in the spirit of collaborative scientific investigation and a desire to share such unique South African treasures with the rest of the world.
Speaking at the event, MEC Mahlangu emphasised the need for young German scientists to collaborate with their South African counterparts in various scientific fields and palaeoanthropology in particular and to tap into the profound knowledge and insight housed in one of the world’s leading palaeoanthropological institutes at Wits University.
Mahlangu also revealed that in support of this drive, the province working together with the Wits Institute of Human Evolution is finalising plans to build the biggest scientists park in Africa to be housed at the Cradle of humankind to accommodate hundreds of scientists expected to decend on this famous World Heritage site.
Germany is one of South Africa’s biggest trading partners and the biggest economy in Europe. Tourist arrivals from Germany into S.A have over the past year increase by more than 9%, a phenomenal number in the context of the on-going euro zone crises.
It is hoped the he partnership between Tourism Gauteng, Wits University and various museums and universities in Germany will certainly assist the province to increase these numbers and explore the niche scientific and researches market to greater length..
Also attending the event was the South African Ambassador to Germany, His Excellency Rev Makhenkhesi Stofile and renowned scientist and the person who actually discovered Sediba’s hand Professor Lee Berger from the Institute of Human Evolution at Wits and scientists from various German Universities. The donation of this cast of the A.sediba to the museum is a gift from South Africa to the German people reminding them of the origin of humanity in Africa, emphasised MEC Mahlangu.
Receiving the casts on behalf of the museum, Dr Peter Bartsch, head of collection at the fur Naturkunde thanked MEC Mahlangu and Professor Berger for choosing their museum as the first recipient of this unique gesture.
Without a doubt the German researchers and scientific community as a whole will benefit enormously from this display. The Sediba casts specimens are expected to stay in permanent display at the Berlin museum fur Naturkunde and we hope this will encourage visitors to the museum to also add the Cradle into their itinerary of the must visit destination in Gauteng, South Africa.
Enquiries:
Barba Gaoganediwe
Cell: 083 446 7844
E-mail: barba@gauteng.net
Qedani Mahlangu donates Sediba fossil casts to the people of Germany
Province
