Final answer:
The statement is false because the oldest fossils attributed to our genus Homo date back to between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, not 5 million years.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the oldest fossils attributed to our genus Homo were discovered in South Africa and date to 5 million years ago is false. The human genus, Homo, first appeared between 2.5 and three million years ago. The oldest known species in the genus Homo is Homo habilis, which lived from about 2.5 to 1.4 million years ago in East Africa. Additionally, the species Homo gautengensis discovered in 2010 might be even older than Homo habilis. The fossils referred to in the statement likely belong to the earlier genus Australopithecus, which evolved in eastern Africa around four million years ago, prior to the emergence of genus Homo.