Wonderwerk Cave – 2,3 billion years in the making

As Landscape Architects, we at V&L sometimes work on projects that allow us to feel important – projects that boast high profile names and cost billions of rands. Every now and then, however, we find ourselves realizing how small and insignificant we really are, especially in terms of the history of the world and of the human race.

Mandy van der Westhuizen of V&L got a taste of this while working on a plan for the Development and Management of a Public Archaeological Site at the Wonderwerk Cave in the Northern Cape Province.

The cave is an ancient solution cavity, exposed at one end by hillside erosion and extending 139m into the base of the Kuruman Hills. The cave is made up of stratified dolomitic limestone dating back 2,3 billion years.

This amazing cave literally contains the ‘dust of ages’. Finds excavated from layer upon layer of sediment have revealed a unique chronological record, up to two million years long, of humankind’s history in South Africa, extending from prehistory to our modern settlers.

The cave is of national significance and was declared a National Heritage Site in 2010. It is also on the Tentative List for World Heritage Inscription and has been selected as one of the world’s 100 most endangered sites (World Monument Watch 2010 listing).

V&L tackled this unique project on a provincial, regional and site specific level. As a starting point, a synopsis of the regional archaeology and heritage based destinations was undertaken, in addition to the adventure and eco-tourism based destinations available.

Based on the extracted opportunities and constraints, V&L recommended the establishment of a Kimberley – Kuruman tourism route making use of the R31. The heart of this route would be special interest tourism focused on cultural, historic, and archaeological sites, and one of the primary draw cards on the route would be the Wonderwerk Cave.

Once this main link is established, secondary loops may be created, tying in with the primary link, and making use of other roads and points of entry into the region.

On a site specific level, V&L recommended a strategy for developing the Wonderwerk Cave site. This strategy was based on the realization that the existing structures and infrastructure on the site have been inappropriately planned, located and constructed, and that these actually compromise the integrity of the heritage site.

At the same time, V&L also acknowledged that this infrastructure facilitates access to the site, and allows ongoing research and educational tours to take place. In this respect, these structures and infrastructure hold some value which should not simply be discarded.

Ultimately, V&L recommended that the Wonderwerk Cave site layout be ‘reorganized’ for better use, operation and maintenance. This entailed re-looking at the overall planning and use of the site. The result was a sketch plan proposal which fits comfortably onto the site, and promotes easy and legible use, management and maintenance.

In order to ensure that the development and management proposals for Wonderwerk Cave do not remain on paper, V&L proceeded to undertake the next level of planning in support of the recommended plan. This included a business plan, an operating plan, a financial plan (capital & operational), an implementation plan, a marketing plan and an overview of potential risks & problems.

With all the above in hand, the Northern Cape Economic Development Agency, in conjunction with the McGregor Museum are now in state to move forward and develop the Wonderwerk Cave in a manner worthy of its heritage status. As a result, we are assured that we will always be able to visit this remarkable piece of history and feel small and insignificant in its shadow…