Oom Jan Fourie: The man with all the keys

Vredefort Crater

Jan Fourie

Tour Operator at Dome Impact Tours

Oom Jan didn’t intend to become a Heritage Hero. His plan was to move to Parys and enjoy retirement after working in education most of his life. Little did he know that one of his greatest legacies would only start after retirement. 

He runs Dome Impact Tours from Parys – a one man show that explains the mysteries of the Vredefort World Heritage site. Without the tour, there is a town next to a river. With Jan you live through the biggest meteor impact in history. 

It all happened 2,023,000,000 years ago. Before the continents split. Before most forms of life we know existed. Well, all forms of life, because the ones that had made it that far were instantly wiped out on that day. An asteroid the size of table mountain caused one of the largest impact explosions humanity has been able to contemplate. In seconds, rock melted and the earth’s core ripped open. It is almost impossible to comprehend the magnitude, but oom Jan tries his best to help.

He is passionate and knowledgeable, and because he is such a nice guy he has the keys to all the coolest sites that are on private land. There is no official Heritage site building. A small office in Venterskroon acts as the information center. Oom Jan hopes that someone in a position somewhere will realise that we are sitting on one of the most impressive and important heritage sites in the world and dedicate some funding to make something out of it. 

Oom Jan was voted top tour operator in the Free State a few years ago, and among the top 10 in South Africa. Without him, the Vredefort site is a mystery with few details. He brings it to life. What a guy. 

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