Kimberley diamond rush

When diamonds were discovered in 1870 on the farm Bultfontein, a diamond rush started in Kimberley, attracting investors and miners from around the globe. South Africa’s diamond city rapidly expanded and became renowned as the richest diamond town in the world. Businessman Cecil John Rhodes started De Beers in 1888 when he bought shares in the Kimberley Diamond Mine. Early miners excavated the “Big Hole”, which is 475 metres deep, using spades and picks.

On December 4, Van’s Auctioneers will sell a large quantity of diamond mining equipment and scrap metal material in Kimberley, Northern Cape.

Some of the assets on auction include a Toyota truck, Ford truck, Hitachi-Uh20 excavator, John Deere tractor, mine scraper, half-ton trailer and two dozers.

Other assets also include mining equipment and parts, vibrating tables, pressure pump, 50- metre conveyer belt unit, wash plant tables, Crofts engine, mining drill, steel pipes, water pipes, storage tanks, processing plant, various engines and electrical motors, jackhammer, mobile pumps, trolleys, workstations, shelving, pillars, various parts and large amounts of scrap metal.