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WELCOME TO THE “HOME OF THE CAVE”

Welcome speech by Dr Ruben Richards, Executive Mayor of the Cederberg Municipality on the occasion of the Celebration 
and Inauguration of the Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Elands Bay as a World Heritage Site, held 14 September 2024, Elands Bay, 
Cederberg Municipality"

Program Director, MEC Ricardo Mackenzie, fellow councillors, members of staff and 
representatives of the Cederberg municipality, provincial and national government, 
distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my singular honour to stand before you today to welcome you and invite you to celebrate 
a momentous occasion in the history of our beloved Cederberg Municipality, our province and 
country at large. The declaration of the Diepkloof Rock Shelter as a World Heritage Site by 
UNESCO is a testament to the rich cultural and archaeological heritage of our region

The MEC and other speakers will no doubt tell us more about the Rock Shelter in their 
speeches. But as a former academic myself, you will forgive me for singling out Prof 
Parkington and Cedric Poggenpeol. What a crowning moment for them as they were the ones who first excavated the site as far back as 1973. And of course, what a crowning moment for 
the SAN and Khoe foremothers and forefathers who lived here many millennia ago and their 
living descendants are still here today. 
MEC, you will be pleased to know that at our recent Cederberg municipal council meeting held 
on 26 August 2024, I informed council of your congratulatory message you sent to me via WhattsApp while you were still in India and justifiably basking with pride as the UNESCO 
confirmation and announcement was still reverberating around the world.
 I informed the
council that this recognition is beyond a big deal. This UNESCO decision confirms that we, 
the Cederberg, and Elands Bay in particular, are joint custodians of ancient human culture. 
MEC, I consequently invited the municipal council to take a moment to absorb and reflect on 
the significance of this world heritage status for our municipality. As we gather here today, we 
acknowledge the significance of this site, not only as a source of pride for our community but also as a valuable resource for the entire nation. The Diepkloof Rock Shelter is a window into 
the lives of our ancestors, offering a glimpse into the emergence of modern human behaviour. 
The exceptional collection of over 400 intentionally engraved ostrich eggshells, dated to around 60,000 years ago, is a remarkable example of the ingenuity and creativity of our 
forebears. It provides evidence of abstract thinking, technological innovation and the ability 
to plan and strategize. In addition to the Middle and Later Stone Age deposits, the site also 
contains rock art dating back to San hunter-gatherers, Khoe pastoralists and the colonial 
period.
MEC, who would have thought that Elands Bay of all places, would be recognised as one of 
the few ancestral and ancient sources for an understanding of the origin of behaviourally 
modern humans, their cognitive abilities and cultures. I just hope that the descendants of 
Elands Bay and the current residents of Elands Bay behave in a way that confirms such an 
illustrious human cultural heritage.

The Eland's Bay Museum, established in 2019, serves as a fitting tribute to this heritage site. 
The museum's new permanent exhibition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of 
our community in preserving and promoting our cultural heritage. As an Interpretation Centre 
for the World Heritage Site, the museum will play a vital role in educating visitors about the significance of the Diepkloof Rock Shelter and its place within the broader narrative of human history.

The declaration of the Diepkloof Rock Shelter as a World Heritage Site presents a unique 
opportunity for our region to showcase its natural beauty, rich culture, and warm hospitality to 
the world. We envision a future where tourists from far and wide come to experience the Cradle 
of Human Culture, exploring the various points of interest along the Heritage Route from 
Eland's Bay to Mossel Bay.

We are mindful that this opportunity also brings with it a responsibility to ensure that the 
benefits of tourism are shared equitably among our communities.

We recognize that heritage 
tourism can be a powerful driver of economic growth, welfare, and employment improvement, particularly in marginalized, peripheral, or rural areas such as ours. 

We will no doubt need to train up tour guides for a new era of tourism in our municipal area. No longer will this just be the red-tide lobster coast or a dead seal and bird-flu coast, but the home of “The Cave" and indeed the Cradle of Human Culture.

As we move forward, we are committed to promoting heritage tourism in a sustainable and 
responsible manner, balancing the needs of our local communities with the demands of 
international and local tourists. We will work tirelessly to ensure that the economic benefits of tourism are felt by all, from the fishing community of Eland's Bay to the small business owners 
and entrepreneurs who call our region home.

As I conclude, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the UNESCO World Heritage 
Committee for recognizing the Diepkloof Rock Shelter as a site of global significance. We 
accept this honour with humility and a deep sense of responsibility, knowing that we are 
custodians of a precious heritage that belongs to all humanity.

I want to conclude these opening remarks with a few stanzas from a poem which I wrote in 
2021 in honour of the Cederberg and which I read when I was inaugurated as Mayor. I do believe it serves as a fitting tribute to Diepkloof Rock Shelter.

The poem is entitled: 
An Ode to the Cederberg

Oh Cederberg, Oh Cederberg
How beautiful you are
How sacred is your soul
How bountiful is your soil
Your mountains echo the visions of your people
Your rivers water our hearts as we drink and are refreshed.
Oh Cederberg, Oh Cederberg
For centuries you have quietly observed
For centuries you have lovingly accepted
For centuries you have embraced all who have visited here.
Oh Cederberg, Oh Cederberg
My heart aches as I see the ruins of unfulfilled dreams 
 smashed on your rocky mountain slopes
My soul weeps as the blood of our ancestors cry up from the soil
I fear for my people of the Cederberg
For who will share our fate
Oh Cederberg, Oh Cederberg
Today we confess that we have not been our best
Today we promise to try again 
Today we honour those who have gone before us

Today we honour those on whose shoulders we stand
Today we pledge to work together and cooperate
Today we acknowledge that we need each other
Today we recommit to ensure that there is a fair share for all. 
Oh Cederberg, Oh Cederberg 
We adore you
What beauty and promise you have bestowed upon us all.
With these words, MEC, ladies and gentlemen, and distinguished guests, it is my honour to welcome you to this celebration of The Diepkloof Rock Shelter – The Cave.

Thank you