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Did You Know?

The Struben Mine Shafts, located in Kloofendal, Johannesburg, are remnants of the early gold mining operations on the Witwatersrand. The site is associated with the Struben brothers, Fred and Harry, who discovered gold-bearing quartz reefs in the area in 1884, two years before the main Witwatersrand gold rush of 1886. Their discovery led to the establishment of the Confidence Reef, which was mined through shafts and adits, including those at Kloofendal. The mine was operational from the mid-1880s, but the reef proved to be relatively low-grade and was not as economically significant as the Main Reef later discovered on the Witwatersrand. The site today is part of the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, where the shafts and mining infrastructure have been preserved as heritage features.

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