Confidence Reef Mine entrance safely cleared after December rock collapse
Historically significant attraction almost lost after heavy rains.
Shifting sands are a reminder of history’s fragile impermanence.
Following the heavy rains that lashed Roodepoort in early December, the Confidence Reef Mine’s accessibility was severely hampered. Nestled in the cliffs of the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, the entrance to the national heritage site became blocked when a rock slide pilled mounds of debris into the entrance of the almost 140-year-old mine.
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Thanks to those dedicated to preserving the legacy of the single most important mineral discovery in South Africa, the entrance to the mine was cleared in early February. Friends of Kloofendal’s (FroK) Steve Spottiswoode, with the help of Erik Etskin of the Department of Arts and Culture, arranged a crew to clear the fallen rocks. Contractor Nathaniel Tshifhiwa’s men spent much of the weekend of February 4 restoring the entrance to the mine that birthed much of South Africa’s wealth.
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Rod Kruger, who has taken painstaking care of the legend of the Struben brothers for several decades was ecstatic to know stories would continue to be told among the historic rocks.
“This is the single most important historic mine in South Africa where the Struben brothers discovered gold in 1885 and which led directly on to the discovery of the main reef, the biggest gold deposits ever found. It changed the world’s economy,” noted Rod.
The Confidence Reef Mine tour, hosted by Rod, will return on March 5 with bookings available on the Frok website kloofendalfriends.org.za/historical-mine-tour.
