 Following the discovery of the approximately two million year old "Australopithecus sediba", which had been discovered just 15 km away from Sterkfontein in the Malapa northern cave in the year 2008, the assumption was made that an ancestor of "Australopithecus" could be "sediba".As with any new discovery, there is always an argument between the lumpers and the splitters.Due to the lack of volcanic layers at the site, dating was difficult.