Minister Meyer Unveils Plaque at Pinnacle Point

On Tuesday, 9 April 2013, the Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Dr Ivan Meyer, and the Mayor of Mossel Bay, Alderwoman Marie Ferreira, unveiled the Heritage Western Cape plaque which identifies the archaeological site at Pinnacle Point as a Provincial Heritage site.

Provincial Heritage Sites are protected in terms of Section 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act as places that that are of historical or cultural importance. Project leader and archeologist, Peter Nielson, described the caves at Pinnacle Point as a study in human behaviour. “Where and when did modern behaviour begin? What is the link between the anatomical and the behavioral? Modern thinking started here,” he said.  

Pinnacle Point is a group of coastal caves on the Southern Cape coast near Mossel Bay that contain archaeological artefacts and other physical evidence critically important to the understanding of how and when modern humans evolved.  Several of these caves were occupied by Stone Age people between 165 000 and 50 000 years ago – the era in which scientists believe humans developed the intellectual capacity that characterises modern humans. After they started developing technology, it was effectively utilised during periods of migration. In terms of the National Heritage Resources Act the site was declared as a Provincial Heritage site and the proclamation was published in the Western Cape Government Provincial Gazette of December 2012.

Dr Meyer emphasized the importance of linking the past with the future. “Three things will change the world in the next ten years. They are food security, water and energy. We need to learn from the past, from the lessons that are being unearthed at this site, to deal with the challenges of the future.

“The caves at Pinnacle Point reveal the genesis of modern thinking, and it provides a platform to unite people. This project needs our support, so I will liaise with the South African Heritage Resources Agency in order to secure more funding for this project, and to support  the process of having the Pinnacle Point caves declared as a World Heritage Site,” said Dr Meyer.

Dr Meyer’s vision of a Heritage Interpretation Centre at Pinnacle Point will materialize when Heritage Western Cape as the custodians of heritage, the archeologists as the owners of the intellectual property and the estate owners form a partnership. “We have to concretize the philosophy of better together,” said Meyer.