The Driefontein mine is a large mine located in the northern part of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
in
Gauteng
Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
. Driefontein is an important gold producer and represents one of the largest
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
reserves in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
having estimated reserves of 238 million tonnes of ore grading 0.0053%
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
.
History
In 1937, aided by a
magnetometer
A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, ...
, Dr
Rudolf Krahmann discovered vast gold deposits of the West Wits Line near
Carletonville
Carletonville is a town in Gauteng and the seat of the Merafong City Local Municipality in the West Rand District Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, just north of the richest gold-mining area in the world. At 3,749 m, Western Deep Levels ho ...
South Africa, including those developed as the Driefontein and Kloof (later KDC) mines.
In 1999,
Gold Fields
Gold Fields Limited (formerly The Gold Fields of South Africa) is one of the world's largest gold mining firms. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company is listed on both the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the New York St ...
acquired Driefontein through the purchase
AGA
Aga or AGA may refer to:
Business
* Architectural Glass and Aluminum (AGA), a glazing contractor, established in 1970
* AGA (automobile), , 1920s German car company
* AGA AB, , a Swedish company, the originator of the AGA cooker
* AGA Rangemaster ...
's 21.5% shareholding, then making Gold Fields the world's second largest gold producer. Gold Fields Ltd held full interest in GFI Mining South Africa (Proprietary) Limited which fully owned Driefontein.
On 30 August 2005, Driefontein officially poured its 100 millionth ounce of gold.
In 2006, Driefontein successfully converted its "old order mining licence"to new order MR" and its 9 Shaft completion project was approved.
In 2012, Gold Fields Limited unbundled its subsidiary, GFI Mining South Africa Proprietary Limited ("GFIMSA"), which was then renamed Sibanye Gold Limited ("Sibanye Gold"),
ater Sibanye-Stillwater">Sibanye-Stillwater.html" ;"title="ater Sibanye-Stillwater">ater Sibanye-Stillwater and consisted of the KDC mine">KDC (formerly Kloof) and Beatrix mines, as well as an array of support service entities in South Africa.
Sibanye-Stillwater
"Company Announcements", Sibanye-Stillwater, November 29, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driefontein Mine
Uranium mines in South Africa
Economy of Gauteng