This paper provides the first comprehensive mapping and classification of all 84 mining host communities (cities, towns and villages) in South Africa that are directly influenced by large-scale mining.
This is also a requirement of Social and Labour Plans (SLPs) required of mining companies in South Africa to ensure mining contributes to socio-economic development.
In order to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the mining industry, it is necessary to identify the host communities that are directly influenced by mining operations. The pot holes (or sinkholes) have formed excellent trap sites for diamonds and enormous quantities of diamonds have been recovered from some of these. Sinuous, discontinuous, narrow, steep-sided alluvial channels or laterally more continuous, yet thin sheet-like gravels, assumed to be younger reworked material. Even though several phases of gravel deposition have occurred, the distribution of the diamondiferous gravels is influenced by weathering features in the dolomite and these now occur as pothole-fill. The northern Lichtenburg, and eastern Ventersdorp diamond fields are largely underlain by dolomitic horizons that have undergone at least four phases of karst development. Post-depositional modification has resulted in the formation of colluvial and eluvial "Rooikoppie" deposits, which were preferentially mined by the artisanal diggers of the previous century. In the southern, Schweizer-Reneke diamond field, five ages of diamondiferous ravels occur, ranging from late Cretaceous to 9 Pleistocene. The extremely low concentrations of diamond in most alluvial deposits and the almost random distribution of the diamonds within the gravels, necessitate the taking of large samples in order to evaluate the commercial potential of a deposit. These include improvements in the remote sensing techniques of aerial photography and satellite image interpretation, as well as various airborne and ground geophysical methods. In recent years, there have been important advances in the techniques used in the exploration for alluvial diamonds, enhancing the ability to locate new deposits. The discovery of the Lichtenburg diamond field in 1926 made a huge, short term impact on South Africa's diamond production but this impact was short-lived due to the global decline in diamond sales that resulted from the Great Depression. inland, alluvial diamond production reached a recent peak of 1.23 million carats in 2003, providing employment for an estimated 25,000 people which then dropped to a disappointing 6,000 people in 2005. To quench your thirst a visit to the Occidental Bar is a must and for those wanting to stay overnight, there is a guest house as well as Hotels nearby.The liberalization of the diamond marketing system led to increased diamond prices and this, coupled with the devaluation of the Rand against the US$ during late 20, resulted in a significant increase in onshore alluvial diamond production in South Africa. ActivitiesĬome and relive the underground tour to experience the perilous 19th century mining conditions, explore the museum, do some shopping or try your hand at the Skittle Alley. In the Old Town you'll discover period buildings that have been preserved or restored to their original glory including a church built in Europe and shipped to Kimberley, Barney Barnato's Boxing Academy, the diggers' tavern, an authentic diggers' sleeping quarters and the De Beers railway coach, used by Cecil John Rhodes to commute between Cape Town and Kimberley. The Old Town brings the New Rush era to life, where the desperate, the hopeful and the determined flocked to the town of Kimberley to seek their fortunes. We take you through that story, a day in a miners life, we offer an unforgettable experience to illustrate the story of diamonds from past to present. Like an epic story, the history of diamonds in South Africa contains episodes of anguish and tragedy. Soon thousands of prospectors, armed with nothing more than picks, shovels and hope, descended on Kimberley and created the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. Then word spread that diamonds had been discovered. Step back in time and see where Kimberley’s diamond rush began.ġ50 years ago, the site of the Big Hole was a featureless, flat-topped hill.