05 Dec 2021

Gcwihaba caves are tipped to be listed as a World heritage site.

This was revealed by Department of National Museum and Monumentse acting deputy director Dr Winani Thebele at a press conference on the research about Hominids (cave dwellers) in Botswana which seeks to determine the possibility of the origin of the first humans in Botswana.

Dr Thebele stated that it was highly possible that Gcwihaba caves could be a cradle of humankind. However she acknowledged that other researches conducted in Makgadikgadi had proved that Makgadikgadi was the cradle of humankind.

She said a research conducted by a French team in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Museum and Monuments at Gcwihaba caves over the past two weeks excavated fossils that existed for million years.

She highlighted that the Gcwihaba story was one wonder with so many tunnels that were discovered from time to time. Dr Thebele stated that more researches would be conducted at the caves and that ultimately the caves would be listed as a tourist attraction site for the public to visit.

She said this would entail deployment of a tour guide and a museum at the caves to provide information for visitors. 

The deputy director expressed gratitude to the French research team and the French embassy for linking the researchers with Botswana government.

She commended the team for their hard work and tireless efforts. 

The French team leader and geologist Dr Laurent Bruxelles stated that humans existed millions of years ago where they moved from one place to the other therefore it was a long process to determine their first origin.

He noted that it was highly possible that the first people could have originated in Gwcihaba. 

This, he explained, did not discredit other research findings that had indicated that humans originated in other places. 

He said research was a continuous process that presented different findings from time to time depending on what was discovered on the ground.

He indicated that during the research they extracted fossils from the caves to study their lifespan, which proved that they existed over million years. 

Dr Bruxelles stated that Gcwihaba caves were natural and untouched hence produced authentic results unlike in other countries were caves were tampered with. 

He said their research findings were inconclusive in that they could not qualify the caves as the first origin of humankind.

Moreover he said it was a fact that the first origin of humankind was in Africa as research had pinned the first humans in East Africa, others in South Africa and Botswana. 

Dr Bruxelles thanked the museum team for their hardwork and hospitality. ENDS