Mzanzitravel Magazine Issue 15

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Manama under
the chair of Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed al-Khalifa of Bahrain,
inscribed the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountainlans as a World
Heritage site on July 2, 2018.
The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountainlans is situated in
Mpumalanga Province which is in the north-eastern part
of South Africa. The site comprises 40% of the Barberton
Greenstone Belt, one of the world’s oldest geological structures.
It represents the best-preserved succession of volcanic and
sedimentary rock dating back 3.6 to 3.25 billion years, when
the first continents were starting to form on the primitive Earth.
It also features meteor-impact fallback breccias resulting
from the impact of meteorites formed just after the Great
Bombardment (4.6 to 3.8 billion years ago).
“As the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) this
affords us an opportunity to add more to the variety of product
offerings in the province”, said Mr Johannes Nobunga, CEO of
MTPA.
“As we continue to promote the destination, our marketing
efforts will also go a long way in creating awareness in our
local communities and the world at large about this unique
tourism offering and what it means for the province”, added
Nobunga.
Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains becomes South Africa’s 10th
World Heritage site, and the first for Mpumalanga. This iconic
site will now be granted access to funds from the World Heritage
Fund to use for conservation which is likely to increase tourism
in the area.
“We are delighted with this achievement as a province. We
have had a dedicated team that worked tirelessly for years to
see this dream realized. We are grateful for their hard work in
putting Mpumalanga on a global map. It is our responsibility to
ensure that we work together with the communities to protect
the integrity and the authenticity of this natural property”,
concluded Nobunga.