Humans once lived in Kruger

SOUTH Africa’s most exciting safari destination, Kruger National Park, is known for being the home of Africa’s Big Five – the lion, leopard, black rhino, African bush elephant and the African buffalo.

But members of the park, together with a team of archaeologists from the University of Pretoria, recently found clues that humans might have roamed the area about 1 500 years ago. “When you think of Kruger National Park, you think of animals. But we want people to appreciate there is more to the national park,” says archaeologist Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu.

Researchers from the university have been excavating, or digging, at a site along the Letaba River, a major watercourse about halfway up the game reserve.

Although the site was first discovered in the 1980s, archaeologists have in recent years returned to carry out further work. They’ve found heaps of interesting artefacts such as clay pots, hunting bows and arrows, glass beads, shells and bones.

It’s believed the items date back to before the discovery