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Northen Cape Province - Kimberley |
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In the far west of Northern Cape Province, next to the Free State Provincial border. One of South Africa's most historic towns, founded on the area's vast diamond deposits and now a pleasant little city of modern shopping malls, office complexes, apartment blocks, quiet suburbs and broad and tree-lined streets. It does, though, have a distinctive atmosphere, a mood that evokes the lively, romantic days of the first great rush, when hopeful diggers gathered in their thousands in the sprawling, dust-blown camps to seek instant fortune. Kimberley, capital of Northern Cape Province, is still a hub of the diamond industry - four of its rich 'pipes' are productive - but not exclusively so: among other minerals mined in the area are iron ore, gypsum and salt. The town also serves as a significant market and service centre for the surrounding cattle ranches and irrigated farmlands. Kimberley lies on the lower plains of the great central plateau, a summer-rainfall region whose rains tend to be infrequent. Summer days can be extremely hot, nights much less so. Winter days are blessed with long hours of intense sunshine, the nights are often bitterly cold. In 1866 a 15-year old farm boy, Erasmus Jacobs, found a 'pretty pebble' on the banks of the Orange River, which he gave to neighbor Chalk van Meeker, who in turn arranged to have the white stone examined. It proved to be a 21.77-carat diamond and it was named 'The 'Eureka'. A few diggers arrived on the scene and found some small gems, but otherwise the discovery prompted little enough interest. Three years later, however, Van Meeker brought another diamond, this time an 84-carat one, which he bought from a local shepherd for the price of 10 oxen, 500 sheep and a horse. This became known as 'The Star of South Africa', and it triggered a much bigger rush. The alluvial (river-bank) workings were fairly profitable, but the finds were modest compared to what would shortly be unearthed from a number of diamond-filled kimberlite 'pipes' located to the south-east, an area that embraced the farms Bultfontein and Vooruitzicht, the latter owned by the De Beer brothers. The richest of the deposits, which lay in and beneath a small hill called Colesberg Kopje, was discovered by accident in July 1871, by a colourful character named Fleetwood Rawstorne. Colesberg Kopje soon disappeared under the picks and spades of Rawstorne and his gang to become what is today Kimberley's world-famed Big Hole. By 1872 an enormous tent-town sprawled across the dry veld, a series of camps that, together, accommodated 50,000 people - a population second only to that of Cape Town. Among them were men of unusual enterprise, most notably young Cecil John Rhodes and the Jewish Londoner Barney Barnato. When these two came on the scene the diggings were chaotic: nearly 4,000 individual claims were being worked; up to 30,000 men were labouring cheek-by-jowl in the ever-deepening cavity; a vast spider's web of aerial ropeways carried diamond-bearing earth to the surface. Syndicates and small companies were formed, but ten years later there were still a hundred or so separate operators. Rhodes decided to consolidate the diggings and began buying up the claims on the de Beers mine, and then turned his attention to Barnato's Kimberley Central mine, eventually (after some of the hardest bargaining in the annals of big business) bought it for just over five million pounds - a vast some in those days (the framed cheque now adorns the wall of the Kimberley Club). Thereafter the industry stabilised, and Kimberley settled into a more orderly routine. The town, though, was to feature again in world headlines - during the early months of the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902), when it was besieged and bombarded by Boer forces. Less spectacular but notable enough are its minor claims to fame: Kimberley hosted South Africa's first stock exchange, its first flying school, and claims to be the first town in the southern hemisphere to install electric lighting. The Big Hole An integral part of the mine museum (see below), Kimberley's most famous feature was until recently ranked as the world's largest man-made crater. The site was originally occupied by a small hill, but thousands of hopeful diggers burrowed their way down the subterranean 'pipe' of what is known as 'blue ground'. By 1914, when the mine finally closed, the hole had reached a depth of 1,097.6 metres and had yielded 14, 504,375 carats (or over three tons) of diamonds. It now lies silent and serene after its exertions, its lower levels filled with water. Mine Museum The museum's focus is the Big Hole (see above) but there's much more on view. Part of the early diggers' town has been re-created; among the more attractive features that recall the lively past are a cobbled street lined with reconstructed early shops and cottages, a pub and Barney Barnato's boxing academy. There's also the old mine headgear; De Beers Hall (beautiful displays of jewellery and diamonds, including the 'Eureka' and the world's largest uncut stone); the Transport Hall (Victorian vehicles) and the Art Gallery (profiles of Kimberley in its salad days). McGregor Museum This started life in 1897 as a sanitarium (Rhodes was keen to promote Kimberley as a health resort), and now holds a diverse selection of displays. Of note are the rooms, furnished in period style, that Rhodes occupied during the Anglo-Boer war siege (he made a thorough nuisance of himself, constantly quarrelling with the garrison's long-suffering military commander). Also the lavishly appointed entrance hall, the Hall of Religions, and the Environment Hall. Galleries Celebrated photographer and keen ethnologist Alfred Duggan-Cronin made his home in Kimberley at the turn of the 20th century and later began a comprehensive photographic survey of the Bushman and other local indigenous peoples. Much of his work, and much about the ethnic cultures, is on display in the gallery. Quite different, more Euro centric, is the William Humphreys exhibition in the civic centre. Here you'll find an excellent collection of South African and European paintings, including 16th sand 17th century Flemish and Dutch masters, sculptures, furniture and objets d'art. Period Homes These include Rudd House, which belonged to Charles Rudd, Cecil Rhodes's associate and agent and the man who paved the way for his boss's annexation of the territory that later became Rhodesia (and is now Zimbabwe); Dunlce, a stately 19th-century residence; and the Africana Library, a Victorian 'gentleman's retreat'. Memorials Kimberley has an impressive selection of these. They include:
Freedom Hero One of the most prominent figures of the South African liberation struggle had close connections with Kimberley: Robert Sobukwe was the founder (in 1959) and first president of the Pan-Africanist Congress when he and a like-minded group of young radicals broke away from the more moderate African National Congress. The new movement rapidly gained support and by the early months of 1960 was strong enough to organise a nation-wide anti-pass campaign. This ended in tragedy when police opened fire on demonstrators in Sharpeville, killing 67 of them, after which the PAC and ANC were banned. Sobukwe was imprisoned (at one point he found himself sewing mailbags in company with Nelson Mandela), and on his conditional release in 1969 was restricted to Kimberley. He qualified in law in 1975 but shortly afterwards contracted lung cancer and died. His home is accessible to visitors. Mine Visits The Bultfontein workings offer what is apparently the world's only underground tour of a diamond mine; also a surface tour that takes in treatment and recovery processes, and a fascinating video on the story of Kimberley Gardens and Parks Worth an hour of your time are the Ernest Oppenheimer memorial gardens, laid out in honour of the man who launched Anglo American corporation and eventually controlled the world's diamond industry. Oppenheimer was also, for a time, mayor of Kimblerley. Of note in the grounds is the Diggers' statue. Bird-lovers should visit Kamfersdam (outside town), whose pans and reed beds attract a wealth of flamingos and other waterbirds. Ancient History You'll find some intriguing rock engravings - about 3,000 rather abstract ones, reflecting Bushman spiritual experience - in the usually dry riverbed at Driekopseiland, near Plooysburg. There are also engravings at the Nooitgedacht 'glacial pavements' site off the Barkly West road about 24 kilometres from Kimberley. The 2.5-billion year old rock faces were scoured by infinitely slow-moving glaciers during one of the great ice ages about 250 million years ago. Battlesites One of the biggest conventional battles of the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902) was fought at Magersfontein, about 35 kilometres from Kimberley, when Boer commandant Piet Cronje's 8,000 entrenched troops inflicted a crushing defeat on Lord Methuen's 12,000-strong relieving force on its way to lift the siege. The British field commander, the courageous General Andy Wauchope, was killed early in the engagement. On display in the site museum are weapons, equipment, uniforms and photographs. Other battlefields accessible from Kimberley are Modder River, Graspan, Belmont, Koedoesberg and Paardeberg. On offer are organized tours of these and of reminders of the Kimberley siege. Bloemfontein lies across the provincial border about 110 kilometres to the east (take the N12 highway); Vryburg is 200 kilometres to the north. |
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KIMBERLEY Western Cape
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