A 27-year-old chartered accountant and auditor unwittingly had an encounter with a cave that led to finding Homo Naledi, which was unveiled to the world this week as an extinct relative of humans.

Steven Tucker and his friend, Rick Hunter, said they were out for caving expedition in a remote area at the Cradle of Humankind. They came across the find when they were trying to take a photograph.

The Homo Naledi was finally revealed on Thursday. Tucker said he was as excited as he was when he stumbled on the fossils two years ago. “It still feels like it happened yesterday. You can never get over such a moment, because of its history and how it will be talked about for decades”, he said.

Tucker and Hunter, who are now employed full time by Wits University as professional cavers, had explored the Rising Star cave system many times before. They have also been to Dragon’s back, which is the entrance of the chamber where the fossils were discovered.

Dragon’s Back is an exposed 15m climb along jagged rock and has magnificent stone formations on its ceilings. Hunter wanted to take photographs and Tucker was blocking his view.

Tucker said the only place in this small area that he could move to get out the way was a small crack in the floor. He said the lower he descended, the smaller the opening became. And at one point, he could barely turn his head.

He then immediately shouted telling Rick that he has found something. He said they went deeper into the chamber and started looking at the floor and then they came across the bones.

A closer look at the bones revealed a lower jaw with teeth that looked almost human, he said.