By Devon Rogers
Upon first driving into Johannesburg, I quickly recognized the economical differences between Johannesburg and Cape Town. We zoomed by billboards inviting consumers to study business, to spend time at award winning and luxury spas, and to even purchase a car at the nearest Mercedes Benz dealership. These billboards suggest the city is much more economically stable than other locations in South Africa. Even upon entering the hotel, I quickly noticed the amount of men and women that were clearly in the city for business purposes. As a member of the Venda council, I knew this city would offer us insight into various economical subjects regarding South Africa.
Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of South Africa, can attribute its economic success to the discovery of diamonds and other resources in the late 1800s. In 1890, specifically, miners used dynamite to explore caves such as Sterkfontein. Here, they would find limestone that would later be used to process gold and to manufacture cement. We were lucky enough to explore this cave, where our guide informed us that mining of the cave lasted from 1896-1923 for economic purposes. These miners were so focused on making money that they carelessly blew up parts of the cave that could have created even more limestone. Because water drips down from the top of the cave and the calcium from the water creates the limestone, the miners ironically dynamited parts of the cave that could have added to their profits. However, today, it is not the negative economical impacts that bother South Africans about these miners’ carelessness, but it is the fact that in 1923, scientists took over the cave and began to discover scientifically valuable fossils. One may wonder if hundreds of fossils were destroyed during the miners’ explosions. However, in 1947 Robert Bloom discovered the famous Mrs Ples which dates back 2.5 million years, and between 1955 and 2005, professor Phillip Vallentine Tobias discovered 1600 fossils including the famous Little Foot (an ape-man skeleton over 4 million years old) with Ronald Clarke (The Cradle of Humankind reading).
As a business student, I began to think about the economical advantages this cave has granted the area since its discovery in the 1890s. From 1890-1923 the precious limestone allowed miners to utilize the resource to process gold and manufacture cement, which obviously had economic benefits. Since 1923, the cave has offered scientists a wealth of information regarding the various fossils they have discovered. Today, the cave is also a popular tourist attraction, which undoubtedly serves as an economic advantage to the area. Thus, in essence, the cave has provided the Johannesburg region with a wide range of wealth since its discovery.
Furthermore, the fact that tourists come from around the world and visit this site solidifies the fact that the South African economy truly relies on tourism and services. As we have discussed in class and as I mentioned in my previous blog post, businesses of the service sector make up an important part of the South African economy. Tourist attractions are what lure in travelers to the beautiful country, and Sterkfontein is no exception. In fact, I found it extremely interesting how touristy this cave actually was. Stairs, railings, and distinct pathways were built inside the cave, which I did not expect at all. Instead of focusing on the experience of caving, the idea was to focus on the rich history of the cave—ensuring the guests gain a wealth of information and learn interesting facts so that they will leave the cave with insight and a desire to share their experience.
Overall, Sterkfontein initially served as a site for economical benefits, but now it has become so much more than that. While still bringing in money as a tourist attraction, it offers each visitor insight into the human race’s evolution. Thus, while the primary goal of the cave was for monetary purposes, now the most valuable aspect of the cave is the fact that it teaches humans of their rich development. To me, this represents how sometimes a focus on economical benefits of a situation can deter people away from seeing the bigger, and oftentimes brighter, picture. Instead of consistently focusing on increasing one’s wealth, we should think of our lives in terms of Sterkfontein—while sometimes the emphasis on wealth makes money appear to be the most important aspect of our lives, in reality there is so much more to us than the superficial lives that wealth can sometimes bring. In fact, throughout our experiences in South Africa, we have visualized examples of this truth in the townships. Money does not equal happiness, nor does it equal knowledge—many people in the townships are thriving in ways that are not brought about by extreme riches. Through my experiences and especially after recognizing the true importance behind Sterkfontein’s history, I continue to ask myself:
Will this idealized theory that money equals happiness change over time, or are we too driven by our monetary wellbeing?
