The sediba fossils on display at Maropeng

The Australopithecus sediba skull

Australopithecus sediba will be on public display at Maropeng from April 9 to April 18.

In 2008, Professor Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand led a team of scientists to the Cradle of Humankind, where they discovered a 2-million-year-old fossil and a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba.

In 2010, Australopithecus sediba will take centre stage at Maropeng Visitor Centre, where it will be on display for 10 days, after the launch, for everyone to come and see.

Maropeng is situated in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and means “returning to the place of origin” in Setswana, the main indigenous language in this area of South Africa.

The Cradle of Humankind is an easy drive of about an hour from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Our ancestors have lived in this area for more than 3-million years. By coming here, you are coming to the birthplace of humanity. Welcome home!

The viewing of the Sediba fossils is included in the Maropeng tour ticket price; R105 for adults and R60 for children aged four to 14.

Maropeng is open daily from 9am to 5pm, with the last tour at 4pm. Make a day of the outing to the Cradle of Humankind and visit the only fossil site, Sterkfontein Caves, open to the public, which is situated 10km from Maropeng.

A combined ticket for Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves is R175 for adults and R102 for children aged four to 14. For more information and directions, visit www.maropeng.co.za.

Visit www.maropeng.co.za for a comprehensive overview of the discovery.

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