Development in the Cradle of Humankind

摘要

Under the Blue IQ initiative of the Gauteng Provincial Government, a total of R347m is to be invested in the Cradle of Humankind development. This comprises R184m investment in infrastructure and a further R163m for the development of a "network of interpretive facilities" at Sterkfontein, and on a 100ha site some 7 kms from Sterkfontein called Mohale's Gate. (This development is referred to as the "Interpretation Centre Complex" or ICC). The state is presently seeking outside funding for this component, but whatever happens, the government will be donor of last resort. After a thoroughgoing process of strategic thinking and detailed planning lasting almost three years, and a tender process lasting more than one year, we are poised to conclude contract with the Preferred Bidder, Furneaux Stewart GAPP, for the development of these sites. What we envisage is a development unlike any other in South Africa at the moment. Indeed, unlike anything else on the continent! We have demanded from the bidder not only a development that is architecturally awe-inspiring and memorable, but also one which employs environmental best practice. At the same time, it has to be highly interactive, appealing to a broad range of interests, from people specifically interested in the detail of the latest palaeoanthropological finds, to the interests of people needing a break from city life for an afternoon - and everything in between.