Itumeleng Shadrack Molefe

Can Little Foot be topped?

Sterkfontein Caves fossil technician Itumeleng Shadrack Molefe has big dreams of doing one better than his father when it comes to finding a world-famous fossil. But that is easier said than done.

“My dad, Nkwane Molefe, was working with [fellow fossil preparator] Stephen Motsumi and [renowned palaeoanthropologist] Professor Ron Clarke. He was on the team that found Little Foot,” says Molefe.

Considering that at 97% intact, Little Foot is the most complete hominid fossil skeleton ever found, Molefe has his work cut out for him – and he will also require some good fortune, because years can go by without a significant find.

“My job is special because of what my dad did here, and I want to do better than my dad. He got almost a full skeleton; I want a full skeleton,” he declares.

By no means the only second-generation Sterkfontein researcher – most of his fossil technician colleagues are, too – Molefe was introduced to the caves as a child.

“During school holidays we would come and sit here with our fathers while they were working. I played with bones,” he says.

As an adult Molefe would seek work on the Witwatersrand gold mines, but then in 2013 he heard that positions were available at Sterkfontein. He was hired by Professor Dominic Stratford, the current Sterkfontein supervisor, onto his team.

Responsible for identifying, cleaning, sorting and cataloguing fossils, Molefe is like a forensic investigator. Despite the improbability of topping his father’s most significant co-discovery, it’s a great place to try; Sterkfontein is one of the richest hominid fossil sites in the world.

He is also in a good position to try, as the Sterkfontein fossil technicians sift through pile after pile of excavated breccia for prehistoric gems, and excavate as well. They must of necessity be proficient in geology, anatomy, archaeology and anthropology in order to know when they see something of importance.

“I love this job. You learn and work every day,” says Molefe, whose thirst for more is undeniable. He has his sights set on becoming a master fossil preparator like his cousin Kgame Abel Molepolle, who is famous for the fossils he painstakingly cleans, prepares and casts, making replicas for use all over the world.

“I want to know more about casting,” Molefe states with conviction.

Finding something earth-shattering would also benefit Sterkfontein, which he has known all his life: “I just want to make this place more famous than before.”