Paul Weinberg South African, b. 1956
Thulamela is a sacred site of the Vha-Venda people that is linked to Mapungubwe and the
Great Zimbabwe complex of kingdoms. The historic and heritage value of Thulamela and its
related spaces carries meaning into the present. It is hard to draw a line between tangible
and intangible heritage here as belief systems of earlier periods speak in the present and
through the lay of the land. Communities with historic linkages to these sites regularly visit
to perform rituals here. As anthropologist Joost Fontein has noted, “Sacred spaces in the
landscape act as ‘vehicles’ through which the social and sacred worlds meet. Not only are
these liminal places on the landscape marked by specific customs, taboos and rules...it is
through these practices themselves that their sacredness is achieved.” 9
