The Soweto geologist uncovering Earth's secrets

UNCOVERING THE PAST

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IN THE 1997 action film Dante’s Peak, Pierce Brosnan plays the role of a volcanologist sent to investigate seismic activity beneath a long-dormant volcano.

Years after its release, the story inspired Tebogo Makhubela to become a geologist, the 35-year-old said.

Winner of one of the prestigious National Geographic 2025 Wayfinder awards, Makhubela leads a research team working to uncover ancient clues to human evolution.

His turf lies below the surface of the Earth in the limestone caves of South Africa's Cradle of Humankind, a Unesco World Heritage site about 50 km northwest of Johannesburg.

Speaking from inside The Rising Star cave, one of the numerous caves in the area, Makhubela said he and his colleagues have only “scratched the surface” of the site, which dates back five million years.

In an unassuming savannah field, hidden under a rocky patch of grass, the cave is where scientists in 2013 discovered Homo naledi, an ancient human relative that lived about 300000 years ago.