Answer:
South African cave art survived due to irony. The San were persecuted by Europeans, Zulu, Basotho and other tribes, because of their belief that the moving goods should belong to everyone. They were forced to settle in the Kalahari Desert and Drakensberg Ranges in KwaZulu-Natal - which ensured the survival of their rock paintings.
A stunning gallery of South African cave art in the Drakensberg Ranges and the Western Cape Cederberg region is the legacy of San Bushmen, the original inhabitants of southern Africa. Designs have long fascinated international and local experts for their quality, simplicity of design and bold use of color, similar to modern fixation technique.
The San people, hunter-gatherers present upon the arrival of the Europeans, did not have a tribal system and did not integrate easily. They were hunted and taken to remote areas such as the Kalahari Desert and the Drakensberg and Maluti Ranges, where art survived in caves and suspended rocks.
Rock painting experts around the world agree that the works of San Bushmen are the most numerous and surprisingly modern in the world, and South African rock art sites are now protected as a national heritage.
