Some of the discoveries that were found in a field in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Westbury treasure hunters have called on companies dumping soil at the Union Stadium to stop as there was plenty of “treasure to be found” underneath it.
The treasure hunters said they have found things like old Ford trucks, Ford cars –, some cut in half – drums full of with chemicals, thousands of bullets, gold bearing rocks, copper, brass, silver utensils and vintage bottles.
They claimed police have also removed guns from the stadium.
They believe all these objects might have belonged to those who were forcefully removed from Sophiatown in 1955.
The treasure hunters said the companies dumping soil in the stadium are messing with their income and preventing history from being unearthed.
The site is currently being used as a dump, despite having been refurbished at a cost of more than R20 million just four years ago.
Also Read: PICS: Union Stadium – R21.6 million facility or building rubble dump?
One of the treasure hunters, Jan van Heerden, said he has been digging in the area for more than 10 years, but it only started bearing fruit three years ago.
Van Heerden said they have sold thousands of old bullets they found underground to scrap yards.
“We did not have any information on how much these things are worth, so we just take them to the scrapyards to make a living. We now know some people are buying old Coca-Cola and Pepsi bottles at a high price.”
He said they also found old drums full of chemicals and drips with blood still in liquid form.
Jan van Heerden talks about some of the items he has found in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Melvin King shows one of the discoveries that have been found in a field in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Jan van Heerden shows one of the discoveries that have been found in a field in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Melvin King unpacks some of the discoveries that have been found in a field in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Some of the artifacts that were discovered in a field in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Some of the discoveries that have been found in a field in Westbury, 18 September 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Van Heerden said he had learned to locate steel by using his sense of smell and “by the guidance of God”.
He added they had made an agreement with the trucking companies that they would not dump where they are digging. However, the trucking companies did not keep their promise.
“When they came here, they told us they will avoid where we are digging because the field is big.
“Suddenly, they just came to close the holes we have been busy on. Them throwing the sand here has made our lives difficult because we struggling to make ends meet.” Van Heerden said.
“People have been living off this place. This place has also helped in decreasing crime because people were making a living on the ground. I don’t even have money for bread now because they closed it off.
“We were not doing any harm because when we finish, we put the sand back in the holes.”
Another treasure hunter, Melvin King, said a lot of talented footballers have played in the stadium but no one knew what was lying under it.
“The forced removals happened here in Sophiatown. We want the people dumping here to stop. There is too much value and history here.”
– Pictures by Neil McCartney
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