Voorspoed Diamond Mining Company

Updated: Dec 12, 2019

Reference: “A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) Study for an EMP for the Voorspoed Diamond Mine near Kroonstad in the Free State Province of South Africa”, JCC Pistorius, September 2004

Voorspoed Mine is located 30 km North of Kroonstad. The kimberlite pipe on the farm Voorspoed was discovered and proclaimed by H.S.Hager (a geologist and prospector) on 28th November 1906 (Proclamation No.34 of 1906 by the Acting Lt. Govender of the Orange Free State)

The mine was worked on an extensive scale by the Voorspoed Diamond Mining Company Ltd for about five and a half years before it was closed on the grounds that it was not deemed profitable enough.

Near the surface, where the ‘yellow soil’ had been enriched by natural concentration, mining proved highly profitable, but below the 40 feet (13.5 m) level, there was a marked drop in yield because of the extremely hard kimberlite – from 1910 onwards operations were conducted at a loss.

Opencast mining operations at Voorspoed yielded a total of 897,814 carats. No records of large, good quality diamonds from the mine could be found. The mine was eventually closed down on 3 August 1912 and sold to De Beers.

De Beers acquired the property on the following terms: a payment of 20,000 pounds in cash, taking over the debt owed (as from 1 July 1912) by the Voorspoed Company, and purchasing the existing 405,704 company shares at 12s 6d. The company shares were purchased over a period time, accumulating interest at a rate of 4.5% per annum from January 1913 until the date of payment.

De Beers had no intention of working the mine, declaring it to be unprofitable, although the officials of the Union Mines Department were of the opinion that the mine was worth exploiting. In 1914, a commission of enquiry was appointed by the Union Mines Department to investigate whether or not a closure was justified.

The findings of the enquiry, published in April 1914, were that to continue mining operations would result in a substantial loss to De Beers. Under De Beers ownership, the mine remained closed for the next 95 years (upto 2007, when re-commissioning of the mine commenced).

After being dormant for 95 years, De Beers re-commissioned the Voorspoed Diamond Mine and production started in 2008. Over the next 12 to 16 years of Voorspoed’s planned life, it is expected that over 10 million carats of diamonds will be recovered (Reference: De Beers, August 2008).

As part of the re-commissioning process, De Beers were required to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment (including a heritage study of the area).

According to the heritage study there is an old graveyard and an old dilapidated building on the Voorspoed property that dates back to the time of the mine.

The old graveyard located 2 km to the west of the open pit has the following graves:

· Cornelis Christoffel Bothma, 26 March 1835 – 26 October 1894.

· Johanna Catharina Maria Bothma (nee Nel), 26 February 1888 – 19 December 1911.

· Martha THP van den Heever, 1905 - (unknown).

· Susanna Jacoba Meintjies, 29 October 1902 – 30 October 1910.

· Hendrina Christina Morkel, 6 August 1910 – 27 October 1910.

The old dilapidated building, oblong in shape, contains two rows of six rooms under a pitched corrugated iron roof and is located 200 m to the west of the open pit. The lower foundation wall of the building was constructed using dressed dolerite, while the walls were built using red clay bricks and cement.

The floor is cement (concrete) and the window frames and panes were made of wood. The ceiling was made of wooden planks. The purpose of the building is unknown.