To the west of johannesburg where the highveld starts its descent to the bushveld from the gold bearing ridge of the witwatersrand lies an area of undulating hills referred to as the cradle of humankind it gains its name from the huge amounts of fossil remains of early man and our more apelike ancestors discovered here in the dolomite caves just beneath its surface the unusual geology of the region has made it one of the richest fossil bearing regions in the world not just of early ape men but