The premier, Mr Cassel Mathale, said the provincial government would inject more than R2 million into completing the Mapungubwe  Museum and Interpretation Centre in the next financial year, so that research students could be accommodated .

Besides preserving culture and artefacts, the move is also aimed at promoting tourism in the province, Mathale said. “We want researchers and scholars to do their archaeological research projects at Mapungubwe under one roof. In the past, some archaeological artefacts of Mapungubwe were kept at Wits University and the University of Pretoria, and our research students were forced to travel long distances,” said Premier Mathale.

Mathale was speaking over the weekend during the launch of the Greater Mapungubwe Heritage Route in Mapungubwe National Park. He was joined by the acting chief executive officer of the Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA), Mr Fixon Hlongwani, the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Ms Pinkie Kekana, the Chief Whip of the National Parliament, Dr Mathole Motshekga, Vhembe District Executive Tshitereke Matibe and various mayors and traditional leaders.

Mathale said tourism was one of the economic backbones in the province and urged the communities to promote the Mapungubwe Heritage Site.

The opening of the Greater Mapungubwe Heritage route was part of  the 2012 Vhembe Carnival, where the district welcomed visitors from Zimbabwe and Botswana to the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site, the sacred Lake Fundudzi and the Dzata Museum.

Mr Fixon Hlungwani urged residents of Limpopo to explore the cultural landscape and heritage hub of the Mapungubwe Heritage Site, as this will help to increase tourism along the route. “This is billed to be a major tourism draw card to the province and will boost Limpopo’s domestic tourism. The major boost to us is our strategic location as we are a gateway to other parts of the continent. The success of the initiative will be for the benefit of the entire country,” said Hlungwani.