9 November 2007
The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and Dinokeng Blue IQ Project
yesterday, Thursday, 8 November 2007, launched a School's Treasure Hunt
Campaign at a media breakfast at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown,
Johannesburg. Invited guests included media and education stakeholders, and
learners from the Montic Primary School in Klipdrift.
Endorsed by Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs Paul Mashatile and
Angie Motshekga MEC for Education the campaign, which runs until the end of
December 2007, will reach all 1,9 million learners in the province. Each
learner will receive educational material that will encourage them to discover
more about two of Gauteng's treasure troves, the Cradle of Humankind World
Heritage Site and Dinokeng.
Learners will also be able to participate in an interactive competition
where they will be exposed to some of the most exciting educational and
recreational opportunities available in each destination. The educational pack
will include a voucher for every school child to visit Maropeng, the official
visitor centre to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and the Cullinan
Diamond Mine in Dinokeng courtesy of Grace Masango, owner of Cullinan Tours.
The 10 schools that use the most vouchers stand in line to win R20 000 each
learners would need to ensure that their schools stamp their vouchers before
visiting.
The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is a perfect escape from urban
life. It is the only place in the country and perhaps even on the planet, which
offers such profound insight into ancient history and human beginnings. And
with all the accommodation and leisure facilities in and around the area there
is lots of adventure to be had, and many discoveries to be made.
Dinokeng is a place of natural beauty and cultural authenticity, a wildlife
wonderland, which feels like a world away, but is in fact just a short drive
from Pretoria. Dinokeng boasts three tourism hubs, the Roodeplaat Dam Nature
Reserve, the diamond town of Cullinan and the Dinokeng Game Reserve.
In his keynote address at the launch Mashatile welcomed the School's
Treasure Hunt Campaign saying: "Domestic tourism has been singled out by
government and the tourism industry as having enormous potential to contribute
towards lifting GDP growth in line with the Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA). Encouraging learners to find out more
about the unique attractions in their country and province is not only an
important educational exercise; it will also go a long way towards creating a
culture of travel among young South Africans."
Commenting on the campaign, he said "Together with the MEC for Education,
MEC Motshekga, we are pleased to be able to engage with learners from across
the province. This is perhaps the most widespread educational and experiential
tourism-related campaign that Gauteng has ever seen. We believe that the future
of these destinations depends largely on the support of Gauteng's residents and
communities, which is why it so important to share these destinations with the
next generation of domestic travellers and the next generation of 'destination
Gautengs' ambassadors."
For more information contact:
Reshma Lakha-Singh
Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and Dinokeng Blue IQ Project
Cell: 082 852 8405
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government on behalf of Cradle of Humankind
World Heritage Site and Dinokeng Blue IQ Project
9 November 2007
