Vergenoeg was built in 1915 for Sir Alpheus Williams, General Manager of De Beers. American-born and educated Williams led De Beers during a period of rapid development, and he subsequently established the structural engineering firm Alpheus Williams & Dowse. A man with many interests, he led an active public life.
Vergenoeg means ‘far enough’, and at the time of its construction it revelled in its splendidly isolated position on the dunes of False Bay (but conveniently close to the Muizenberg railway station). Designed by the firm of Baker & Kendall in the Cape Dutch Revival style, it is likely to be the work of Franklin Kendall since Herbert Baker had left for the Rand in 1902.
Besides being a much-loved holiday home for Williams (and now for the current owner, Mary Slack) the house has had many illustrious visitors including Jan Smuts, the Prince of Wales in 1925, and Princess Alice.
The discovery of diamonds in 1908 around Kolmanskuppe resulted in an uncontrollable diamond rush forcing the Government to establish the “Sperrgebiet” between 26-degree (Gibraltar) and the southern border stretching 100 km inland. Prospectors were forced to turn northwards beyond the Sperrgebiet.
This resulted in the discovery of diamonds at Spencer Bay in December 1908 and between Meob and the Conception Bay area (Diamond area no 2). This resulted in a total of 5000 diamond claims being registered in 1909 and hopeful prospectors tried their luck at Saddle Hill and Spencer Bay and via Swakopmund and Sandwich Harbour southwards towards Meob Bay.
However, the small yields of diamonds from these claims resulted in only a few prospectors being successful in the long term. Transporting of supplies and mine equipment was effected mainly from Swakopmund by ship and the cutter Viking via Sandwich Harbour, Conception Bay and Meob Bay. Various shipping casualties occurred, such as when the Eduard Bohlen intended to offload mining equipment, was consequently lost at Conception Bay (1909). In the area between Conception Bay and Meob Bay the mining settlements of Holsatia, Charlottenfelder and Grillenberger was established and no form of engine-driven transport was available during the first 15 years. One example of an ox-wagon fitted with special wide iron bands to make transportation in sandy areas possible can be seen north off Grillenberger.
This wagon and surfboats at Meob Bay are examples of pre-World War I historical relicts depicting the immense difficult pioneering days in those inhospitable desert conditions. During 1912/1913 a light railway from Conception Bay to Conception Water and an 80-kilometer pipeline linking the settlements were constructed. It is not totally clear as how many pre-fabricated buildings were erected at the various settlements and only the foundations of some of these are still visible today. In November 1914 all people in this area were requested to stop operations and to proceed to Swakopmund up country. This order came as a result of an expected invasion of Allied troops. During 1920 activities recommenced in this area and only four companies operated in this area until De Beers purchased one concession area after another in 1929. From old mining records it is clear that the average diamond found in this area was much smaller than those found south of Lüderitzbucht.
Operators made use of hand-operated movable sieve jigs, and were largely dependent on an Ovambo labour force. Namaqua Diamonds for instance employed between 500 and 600 Ovambos under contract. They were distributed in gangs of 50 over the extend of the mining area. Some of the sieve jigs are today still visible at the old mining settlements. In 1932 the price of diamonds dropped considerably and almost all known diamondiferous ground has been worked over at least once. The small diamonds left in the tailings of earlier workers made productions uneconomic. After World War II a company Industrial Diamonds of South Africa (1945) Ltd. conducted extensive prospecting in the Meob area in which no diamonds were recovered and CDM also abandoned Meob Bay in the early 60’s. Today only some remnants of the activities are visible and are deteriorating at an alarming rate. There are a limited quantity of hand-operated mining equipment left, two surf boats at Meob and ox-wagon north of Grillenberger giving some in-sight into the hardships endured by indigenous Namibians and early settlers to Namibia.
Saddle Hill became well known in Namibian diamond operations through the efforts of the remarkable Mose Kahan. The unsinkable Mose was born in Königsberg, Prussia and after immigrating to South Africa, he became involved in prospecting and mining. His application for a concession in Diamond area no 2 was successful and he named his claims Saddle Hill Ophir and Atlantis. To reach his claims with food and mining supplies, Kahan had to make his way through shifting dunes with transport available in those years, which was indeed a hazardous undertaking.
After World War II Kahan bought some Ford “stompneus” trucks from surplus war stock and fitted them with Dakota DC3 aircraft tyres. With these low-pressure aircraft tyres he was able to bring supplies and equipment to Saddle Hill. However one of these trucks, nick named Suzie as well as a Bulldozer, pulling trailers with supplies and equipment close to the Uri Haugab Mountains unfortunately had to be abandoned in the dunes, today still awaiting the return of a repair crew.
Originally a De Beers Group mine, Jagersfontein has been the site of diamond digging since the late 1800s and has produced some of the world’s largest rough diamonds, including the 972-carat “Excelsior.”
De Beers confirmed that it stopped mining on the site in 1971. In 2010, it sold Jagersfontein to the Superkolong Consortium, a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) holding company for a number of mining operations.
Slug dam wall burst on Sunday 11 September 2022.
Johann Rupert's Reinet sold Jagersfontein assets just months before deadly incident. The dam used to be owned by De Beers until it was sold to Superkolong Consortium in 2010.
Stargems Group, based in Dubai, this year acquired Jagersfontein Holdings, which ran the site used to process old tailings.
Free State dam disaster: Compensation for damage is the responsibility of company that owns it - Mantashe. Immediate threat 'stabilised' after tailings dam disaster in Jagersfontein - Dlamini Zuma.
The remains of three people were recovered - and 40 others were hospitalised after a dam wall which belongs to a mining company collapsed in Jagersfontein. Electricity supply was lost, and local cellphone towers were damaged.
The incident is not the first of its kind; almost 30 years ago, 17 people were killed in the Merriespruit tailings dam disaster.
Compensation for fatalities and damage to property, after the catastrophic fallout of the Jagersfontein mine dam collapse, will be the responsibility of the company that owns it, said Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe.
Sunday's "accident" was not the first of its kind, he explained, referencing the Merriespruit tailings dam disaster, which took place almost 30 years ago.
Seventeen people were killed in February 1994, when the tailings dam failed and subsequently flooded the neighbourhood in Virginia, Free State with 600 000m³ of water and slime.
"Therefore, that precedence is going to guide our action in dealing with this one," Mantashe said. "In other words, the company that is the owner, will take the bigger responsibility."
The dam used to be owned by De Beers until it was sold to Superkolong Consortium in 2010. Stargems Group, based in Dubai, this year acquired Jagersfontein Holdings, which ran the site used to process old tailings.
But Nathi Shabangu, a spokesperson for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, told the mine's dumps and slime still "belong" to De Beers, while the government's access has been restricted by a court order. The abandoned mine's tailings dam collapsed at about 06:00 on 11 September 2022.
The flow of water had stopped by Sunday afternoon, said Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
However, there had already been extensive damage.
Free State dam disaster: Immediate threat stabilised, rescue and relief operations underway. By nightfall, only two of the 82 patients hospitalised had not yet been discharged – a pregnant woman and a casualty who had suffered a fracture.
One person was killed, while one person is unaccounted for. The search will resume on Monday morning. According to Minerals Council South Africa, Jagersfontein diamond mine was shut down in the 1970s. The council and its members offered its assistance to the government, although it said it had no information about the ownership structure or the standard of management of the dumps.
"The Minerals Council has reached out to the South African authorities to offer whatever practical support and assistance the industry can provide regarding the Jagersfontein tragedy at this trying time," it said in a statement.
Residents of the mining town of Jagersfontein are being evacuated. The mine dam has burst, causing flooding in parts of the town.
Reports coming in indicate that several houses in the nearby Charlesville residential area have already collapsed. The main road leading into the town is also flooded.
Debmarine Namibia Launched Benguela Gem its Most Advanced Diamond Mining Vessel
Debmarine Namibia, a 50-50 joint venture between De Beers Group and the Government of the Republic of Namibia, prospecting for marine diamonds in the Ocean off the Namibian Coast, produces around 1.4 million carats of marine diamonds annually, bringing in a revenue of more than NAD 10 billion (US$669.5 million) every year.
Hitherto Marine diamond mining was carried out by Debmarine Namibia by operating five diamond mining vessels, that comb the ocean floor and suck sediments from the seabed. The Ships bear the names Debmar Atlantic, Debmar Pacific, Grand Banks, Gariep and Mafuta. The ships employ two types of mining technologies, the airlift drill and the crawler mining technology.
In the year 2017, with a view of ramping up production from 1.4 million to over 2.0 million carats, the Company planned to construct a US$ 142 million ship-cum tanker, which was projected to be the world’s largest custom-built diamond mining vessel of length 176 metres. The new vessel was expected to join the fleet by early 2022.
The AMV3 is now the largest diamond recovery vessel in the world and the new Flagship of the Debmarine Namibia fleet. The vessel is expected to operate for at least 30 years, and create 160 high-skilled jobs for Namibian Citizens. The ship is expected to add an additional 500,000 carats of high-value diamonds to Debmarine’s annual production increasing it to over 2.0 million carats.
The AMV3 was officially renamed “Benguela Gem” and unveiled in Namibia by the country’s President His Excellency Hage Geingob at an inauguration ceremony held on March 18, 2022, and also attended by the Minister of Mines and Energy, the Honourable Tom Alweendo and De Beers Group CEO, Bruce Cleaver. The vessel was expected to commence operations from the following week, well ahead of its original schedule.
Commenting on the inauguration of the World’s most advanced marine diamond mining vessel, Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group, said: “The Benguela Gem is the first of its kind and represents an outstanding feat of engineering design, technology innovation and sustainability performance. Despite significant challenges presented by Covid-19, the project was delivered ahead of time and budget – a testament to the world-leading skill and expertise of all involved. The investment in this vessel will support a long term, sustainable future for Namibia’s diamond sector, which is home to some to the most sought-after diamonds in the world.”
CEO of Debmarine Namibia, Otto Shikongo, also commenting on the inauguration of the new vessel said, “As we gather here for the inauguration of this new vessel, just days before Namibia celebrates its 32 years of independence, bear testimony that we at Debmarine Namibia will continue to make our stakeholders proud by delivering real value for both our shareholders and the people of Namibia.”
Commenting in the same vein, Honourable Minister of Mines and Energy for Namibia Tom Alweendo said, “In a world where there is global competition for capital…the investment in this vessel is not just an investment in a diamond-recovery vessel. It is an investment in the future of Namibia.”
Namibia has the richest known marine diamond deposits in the world, with Debmarine Namibia extracting some of the highest quality diamonds available anywhere from water of between 90 – 150 meters deep off the south-west coast of the country.
The Benguela Gem is a crawler ship, having a 280-ton mechanical arm, that moves in a horizontal arc, dredging material beneath the sea floor, up to a depth of 120 metres (400 feet). There is a sophisticated treatment plant onboard the ship, that sifts the diamonds from the dredged gravel. The gravel is then returned to the ocean, and the diamonds are automatically sealed into barcoded steel briefcases, and flown by helicopter three times a week to vaults back on dry land, in the capital city Windhoek to be graded subsequently. The unique thing is that no human hands touch the diamonds during the entire mining and production process at sea.
In the dry, barren stretches on the edge of the Namib Desert in south-western Africa lie the bones of a grand town.
Among the gentle curves of the sand drifts and bleached stone outcrops, ornate buildings rise, defying their desolate surroundings and exuding an air of quiet dignity.
The vastness of the lonely landscape dwarfs the buildings and the sand seeks to hide the structures within itself. It is not until you approach the houses that their characteristic German architecture, featuring truncated roofs and generous windows, can be appreciated.
The air in the deserted streets carries no hint of moisture. Life exists solely in the form of isolated stunted shrubs eking out a living; testing the limits of survival. The only sound is the wind patiently working a pane of glass loose from its frame. The fine desert sands are blown through the town, working their way into the abandoned houses. Welcome to Kolmanskop. Kolmanskop lies 850km south-west of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and 10km east of the isolated coastal town of Luderitz. Formerly, a train line ran eastwards from the coast at Luderitz to the larger town of Keetmanshoop, where it connected with a northern line to the capital.
Kolmanskop Discovery In 1908, Zacherias Lewala, a railway employee shoveling drift sand from the tracks, found some interesting stones. He took them to August Stauch, the permanent-way inspector of the line, who was an avid naturalist, and had asked his workers to bring in any unusual objects they found. Mr. Stauch, a former employee of De Beers in South Africa, took the stones to Luderitz for an expert opinion. The stones were diamonds. When the rumors of the discovery, in what was then known as German South-West Africa, reached Cape Town, they were received with incredulity. This inhospitable and desolate region had been offered to the Cape government in 1885 but politely refused. The richest diamond deposits in the world were to be found in this area.
All the available ground in the vicinity of Luderitz was quickly pegged out and claimed. Laborers, organised in search lines and muffled against the blowing sands, crawled along on all fours armed with jam jars. The diamonds were picked off the ground and the jars filled rapidly. One of the first discoveries was made just before nightfall, so prospecting continued long into the night, with the glimmer of stones identifiable by moonlight. Kolmanskop grew out of the diamond boom. The region was administered by Germany at the beginning of the century and the town reflected this in its character. It was said of the Germans that only after they had finished building the pub and the skittle alley, their favorite form of relaxation, did they start looking for suitable plots to build their houses. In 1912, the area produced one million carats or 11.7 per cent of the world’s total diamond production.
Such wealth meant that despite the harsh climate and isolation, the miners could afford every possible European luxury. The town had a local butcher, baker and post office. An ice plant was established to make blocks to use in food coolers as well as to manufacture the town’s own delicious lemonade. Elaborate houses were built to accommodate the town’s architect, teacher, doctors and mining managers. A large hospital employed two German doctors, one of whom was understandably popular for prescribing his patients an evening tonic of caviar sandwiches and champagne. The inhabitants did not lack for entertainment either. A German expert was brought in to design and supervise the building of a magnificent hall, with acoustics so fine that today visitors are still encouraged to put them to the test and burst into song. The mine even paid for opera companies to be shipped from Europe to perform in this oasis. The hall was also used by the local orchestra, theatre group and gymnastics troop.
In its heyday, the town looked very different. Fresh water was bought in by rail from 120km away and pumped into storage tanks. The water nurtured lush gardens with manicured lawns, rose beds and eucalyptus trees. Pets were difficult to keep in the conditions, but one family had a pet ostrich that terrorised the townspeople. It was only partly able to redeem itself at Christmas by pulling a sled containing Father Christmas over the sand. World War I interrupted mining operations. The resumption of mining after the war led to the slow depletion of deposits. By the early-’30s, the area was in decline. Hastening the town’s demise was the discovery in 1928 of the richest diamond-bearing deposits ever known. These were on the beach terraces 270km south of Kolmanskop, near the Orange River. Many of the town’s inhabitants joined the rush to the south, leaving their homes and possessions behind. Kolmanskop retained some importance as a supply depot for other mining operations, including those on the Orange River. This role passed, too, as it became easier to bring supplies from South Africa. The last three families finally deserted the town in 1956.
The sands that were once swept up every morning now gather unhindered. The desert encroaches into the buildings, gradually filling the empty rooms with smooth rolling drifts. The houses still stand but it is the elements that are in control. The roofs are gradually being laid bare and the glass worked from the ornate frames. The vastness of the lonely landscape dwarfs the buildings and the sand seeks to hide the structures within itself. It is not until you approach the houses that their characteristic German architecture, featuring truncated roofs and generous windows, can be appreciated.
Kolmanskop Facts The name of the town, Kolmanskop, derives from a driver, Johnny Coleman who once abandoned his ox wagon next to the settlement. The name means “Coleman’s hill” in Afrikaans. Before World War I, the mines near Kolmanskop produced more than 1,000 kilograms of diamonds. In other terms, five million karats of diamonds were extracted in the first six years of mining here. The maximum population the community reached was 1,300. Despite being world-famous, the abandoned community of Kolmanskop is not very popular with tourists, probably because a special permit is needed for visiting it as well. The town is part of a so-called “forbidden zone” or Sperrgebiet, an area of 26,000 square kilometers that is not possible to visit without permit. The area is operated jointly by De Beers and the Namibian government. The whole Sperrgebiet is also a natural park, which puts it in a unique situation as it is one of the few natural parks in the world where access is severely restricted.
The town had the first X-ray machine in the southern hemisphere. But this machine was not only used to diagnose medical issues. It was also used to investigate and uncover any diamonds thefts. Due to its relatively low population, for a short while, Kolmanskop was the town with the highest per capita wealth in the world. The last family left the town in 1956. Visiting Kolmanskop Kolmanskop’s history is short. In a span of 40 years the town had lived, flourished and died.
It is an eerie feeling picking your way through the remains of a dead town as the desert moves in, devouring the sun bleached skeletons of the last defiant dwellings. Visitors to the ghost town can take an hour-long tour offered daily and it can be booked from Luderitz. The tour reflects on the town’s boom and bust. A museum established by De Beers in 1980 displays old mining implements and an extensive collection of photographs from the town’s halcyon days when around 300 Germans adults, 40 children and 800 Owambo contract workers called Kolmanskop home.
The shopkeeper’s house, the restored mine captain’s residence, the butchery, gym and skittles alley are all worth an inspection but the fading glory of Kolmanskop is best experienced after the tour when you can wander through decaying buildings, many the former homes of miners and their families, on your own. On the hilltop that overlooks the town there is an old water tank, just another symbol of the obstacles that challenged those trying to survive without the natural resources essential to sustain life. Where Oompah bands played to finely dressed Germans in a gilded ballroom, ice was delivered each morning to homes and housewives, brooms in hand, waged a futile war at their thresholds against the endless onslaught of the Namib Desert. Most buildings are in ruins today but some have been glamorously renovated giving you an even better feel of the contrast between what this place once was and what it is today – a land reclaimed by nature.
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