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Koffiefontein mine
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Koffiefontein mine
Reikaeletse Mine is a diamond mine situated in the Free State province, about 80 km from Kimberley, South Africa. It is one of the many Kimberley mines of which Kimberley mine, de Beers mine, Dutoitspan, Bultfontein and Wesselton are its more famous neighbours.
The mine was opened in 1870 and consisted of 1200 claims and worked at a large scale in the beginning of the century. However several sources quote it to have a poor yield: 4 to 5 carat (800 to 1000 mg) in 100 loads and according to Streeter the mines were not profitable at all by the end of the 19th century. Streeter also noted that in particular the diamonds of the Koffiefontein and Jagersfontein were of the "first water"; meaning of very good clarity.
There was little on the surface to mark the position of these deposits, some deposits were slightly raised above the surface, some showed a small depression, and it was only after mining started that the extent of the deposits became clear.
The mine has been closed several times in its history and never became a large production site. The total production of the mine was 7.3 million carats (1460 kg), and the largest gem weighed 139 carats (27.8 g). The mine was most recently reopened in 1987 however De Beers announced its final closure in January 2006.
In November 2006 Petra announced it was in advanced talks with De Beers to take over the mine.
Diamonds were discovered on the Koffiefontein Diamond Mine in 1870. One thousand two hundred and forty three claims were laid out at Koffiefontein in 1878 and by the early 1980s, several companies were operating at the kimberlite pipe. In 1893 Alfred Mosely brought forward numerous claims and formed The Koffyfontein Mines Ltd. This company's headquarters were located in London, England. James West was appointed as the first manager and was later succeeded by Walter Stanley Whitworth in 1896. Whitworth was a qualified civil engineer and was only meant to stay in Koffiefontein for two years while constructing the railways however, he became an influential figure and remained in Koffiefontein for over 60 years. Whitworth released a weekly letter about the Koffyfontein mine to London for approximately forty years. In 1911 DE Beers bought out the claims at the mine and remained the owners until 2006. In 2007, Petra Diamonds bought the Koffiefontein Mine from De Beers and are currently still the owners and in operation.
The mining area consists of the Koffiefontein and Ebenhaezer pipes, the administration and mining buildings, the dumps, dams and old hostel buildings.
The majority of the black miners came from the north (the then Zuid Afrikaans Republiek) or from the Eastern Cape. They were recruited by agents in the rural areas. The miners lived in poor conditions. They had to feed themselves and had low wages. The majority had to save money to send to their families in the homelands and therefore neglected their own nutritional status. Working conditions including poor sanitation, compounded with poor nutritional intake increased their susceptibility to contracting a variety of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera and tuberculosis.[citation needed]
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Koffiefontein mine
Reikaeletse Mine is a diamond mine situated in the Free State province, about 80 km from Kimberley, South Africa. It is one of the many Kimberley mines of which Kimberley mine, de Beers mine, Dutoitspan, Bultfontein and Wesselton are its more famous neighbours.
The mine was opened in 1870 and consisted of 1200 claims and worked at a large scale in the beginning of the century. However several sources quote it to have a poor yield: 4 to 5 carat (800 to 1000 mg) in 100 loads and according to Streeter the mines were not profitable at all by the end of the 19th century. Streeter also noted that in particular the diamonds of the Koffiefontein and Jagersfontein were of the "first water"; meaning of very good clarity.
There was little on the surface to mark the position of these deposits, some deposits were slightly raised above the surface, some showed a small depression, and it was only after mining started that the extent of the deposits became clear.
The mine has been closed several times in its history and never became a large production site. The total production of the mine was 7.3 million carats (1460 kg), and the largest gem weighed 139 carats (27.8 g). The mine was most recently reopened in 1987 however De Beers announced its final closure in January 2006.
In November 2006 Petra announced it was in advanced talks with De Beers to take over the mine.
Diamonds were discovered on the Koffiefontein Diamond Mine in 1870. One thousand two hundred and forty three claims were laid out at Koffiefontein in 1878 and by the early 1980s, several companies were operating at the kimberlite pipe. In 1893 Alfred Mosely brought forward numerous claims and formed The Koffyfontein Mines Ltd. This company's headquarters were located in London, England. James West was appointed as the first manager and was later succeeded by Walter Stanley Whitworth in 1896. Whitworth was a qualified civil engineer and was only meant to stay in Koffiefontein for two years while constructing the railways however, he became an influential figure and remained in Koffiefontein for over 60 years. Whitworth released a weekly letter about the Koffyfontein mine to London for approximately forty years. In 1911 DE Beers bought out the claims at the mine and remained the owners until 2006. In 2007, Petra Diamonds bought the Koffiefontein Mine from De Beers and are currently still the owners and in operation.
The mining area consists of the Koffiefontein and Ebenhaezer pipes, the administration and mining buildings, the dumps, dams and old hostel buildings.
The majority of the black miners came from the north (the then Zuid Afrikaans Republiek) or from the Eastern Cape. They were recruited by agents in the rural areas. The miners lived in poor conditions. They had to feed themselves and had low wages. The majority had to save money to send to their families in the homelands and therefore neglected their own nutritional status. Working conditions including poor sanitation, compounded with poor nutritional intake increased their susceptibility to contracting a variety of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera and tuberculosis.[citation needed]
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