Silverstar recently hosted a four-day festival that aimed to celebrate Krugersdorp on the West Rand’s rich mining history of the late 1880s.
The festival aimed to encapsulate its founding history through replicating food from the era, gold panning sites, whiskey saloons and grand beer halls.
When gold first was discovered on Marthinus Pretorius’ farm in 1886, little did anyone know the wealth of minerals that would be found in the years to come. Men and women from afar afield as Canada, Australia, Cornwell and Holland as well as Kimberley and Pilgrim’s Rest pitched their tents in a bid to stake their claim to the land’s riches.
Shortly after the discovery of gold, in 1887, the town of Krugersdorp was established and today it is the industrial hub of Western Gauteng with a population of more than 350 000.
It is the area’s rich mining industry that formed an integral part in the development of the town, as well as molded its colourful cultural and historical background.
