Visiting Biodx Laboratories you will find yourself on the 275 of hectares Modderfontein Nature Reserve established by AECI in 1988.
Home to a variety of mammals, reptiles and over 290 bird species, the reserve is a little slice of nature near bustling Johannesburg.
The original Modderfontein dynamite factory was opened by former president Paul Kruger of the Transvaal Republic in April 1896.
The factory’s initial purpose was to manufacture dynamite for the burgeoning gold mining industry and then when the Anglo Boer War broke out in 1899 to supply munitions to the two Boer Republics.
Its reputation as the largest commercial explosives factory in the world lasted until the mid-1990s.
Attracting workers from Europe, with staff from the UK, Italy, Austria, Denmark and Holland, Modderfontein and the surrounding areas quickly grew in the early 1900s.
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Modderfontein Village soon had homes, a school, several shops and a mansion for Franz Hoenig, the first factory manager. This house is now one of the oldest restored houses in Gauteng.
In 1900 a ‘peacekeeping’ force called the South African Constabulary was formed and also housed in Modderfontein with Lord Baden-Powell’s headquarters.
Ever since those early days, AECI, one of the major industrial organisations in South Africa, has called Modderfontein home for its factory, which still runs today.
When Biodx moved into the old AECI research labs it was like reliving history, and they cherish this heritage.
“You can feel that these buildings hold the knowledge of their past,” said Burt Rodrigues, CEO of Biodx.
“It’s exciting for us to be part of such history and now adding to this legacy of world-class South African research and development.”
To find out more about this area call 011 608 2747.
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