Historic planes and tanks find a home in Springs

For travellers driving to Springs, one may well imagine their astonishment when a large field on their right with the most amazing – and indeed, wholly unexpected – sight catches their eye: planes, (think Mirage), tanks, field guns and old mining equipment all immaculately displayed.

For most of us, the sight evokes immediate curiosity. And thus it was that The Citizen found the Mine & Military Museum.

And there we found 64-year-old Tony da Cruz, Springs businessman, visionary and the founder and director of the museum.

Springs businessman founder of museum

Da Cruz also owns and runs a security company when he is not occupied with his all-consuming passion: to preserve the past with its relics, illustrating the long journey this country has been on.

“The sadness for me is the ignorance of young people who have little idea of the events that help shape this country,” Da Cruz said.

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“If the museum can help in evoking a curiosity of the past and the sacrifices so many have made, it achieved its aim.”

It all started many years ago for Da Cruz.

“I was worried that we were losing our collective memory of the history of this town, the genesis of Springs, the mines, the miners, the immigration from around the world and, of course, the battles in and around the area.”

Safeguarding every public record of the town

Da Cruz decided to safeguard for posterity every public record of the town from 1895.

“I scanned every record I could find and now possess over a 100 years of records.”

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Da Cruz then started a Facebook page in 2014 – Springs: The History of a Gold Town, with excerpts from his scanned records. By 2020, the year of Covid, had regular visitors of up to 20 000 from all over the world.

In late 2022, he approached the Ekurhuleni council and laid out his plans for a museum. He needed land and a partnership.

“But more than that,” he said, “I wanted land in a prime position with high visibility. And I got it. Ekurhuleni agreed to give me the land but they stressed there could never be any ‘for profit money’ involved.

Ekurhuleni council approached in late 2022

“As a local businessman, I knew most of the guys who also had the same passion and persuaded them to contribute fencing, bricks, water, power, cranes, whatever we needed – and had not one refusal.

“There are guns and tanks and ancient mining equipment all over, sitting in public spaces and I started there.”

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In Benoni, Ekurhuleni donated a 120-year-old mining headgear. And in Springs by the old municipal swimming pool there were two magnificent British anti-aircraft guns.

“We got them, plus a naval anti-aircraft gun.”

“Many captured German guns from South West Africa are dotted around the city. Wherever we found them we took them and gave them a home.”

Mirage jet fighter donated

As for the Mirage jet fighter, Swartkop Museum in Pretoria donated it. Donations of steel, concrete and spray-painting led to a restoration done in 10 weeks. It now occupies pride of place on its plinth.

“Hopefully, it will soon be joined by an Impala Jet and a Harvard.”

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