At its 41st Session taking place in Krakow, Poland,
from 2 to 12 July 2017, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World
Heritage Committee has inscribed on its prestigious
world heritage list, the ‡Khomani Cultural Landscape.
This landmark inscription amplifies the ‡Khomani San's
unique cultural heritage and adds to the other eight
South African world heritage sites: Fossil Hominid Sites
of South Africa, Maloti-Drakensberg Park (Transboundary
with Lesotho), Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Vredefort
Dome, Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape,
Robben Island Museum, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the
Cape Floral Region Protected Areas.
The ‡Khomani and related San people are unique in that
they descend directly from an ancient population that
existed in southern Africa some 150 000 years ago.
The landscape, which covers an area of 959100 ha in
Dawid Kruiper District Municipality, covers the entire
Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and forms part of the
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is bordered by
Botswana and Namibia in the east and west respectively.
The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa,
welcomed the recognition of the ‡Khomani cultural
traditions at a global level and acknowledged the
significant role played by the ‡Khomani community. The
Minister has committed that government will ensure its
protection and transmission to future generations. The
South African National Parks, which already manages the
Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, will also ensure that
the integrity of the outstanding universal value of the
property |