The first stamp mill to be used in the Witwatersrand, in 1885, has found a new home at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg.

Local historian Rod Kruger reports that the Friends of Kloofendal Society, in conjunc-tion with the Department of Arts and Culture, decided to move the mill to protect it from the growing incidence of vandalism.

Kruger says that the history of the mill dates back to the late nineteenth century, when prospectors Harry Struben and Fred Struben settled in the area to mine gold.

The Strubens were originally commissioned to prospect in the area by a farmer who wanted to know the extent of the gold deposit on his farm.
Fred Struben discovered that the gold deposits went far beyond the farm. He explored and opened the Confidence Reef mine, in conjunction with his brother Harry.

In order to process the run-of-mine ore that they extracted from the mine, the brothers ordered a stamp mill from Sandycroft Foundry, in the UK. The mill was shipped to Durban and transported by rail to Colenzo, and then by ox wagon to the mine.

Although the brothers were confident that the gold from their mine would be of good quality, the grade was very low. 
They then turned their attention to offering the mill to process the ore from other mines in the area.

Kruger reports that the preservation of the mill is important, as it is one of the only remaining artefacts from the 
mine. 
For many years, the mill stood at the original mine site, but had to be moved to make way for the construction of Christian De Wet road.

“There is a possibility that, in the future, an application will be made to government to declare the mill a national monument,” says Kruger.

Other remaining artefacts from the mine, including photographs and an oil painting of the site done by Harry Struben’s daughter, can be found in Museum Africa, in New Town, Johannesburg.

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