Honeybird mine, Shabani, Zimbabwe

The Honeybird mine was at Shabani, in what was then Southern Rhodesia, and its owner in the sources is the Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Company.⁴ In February 1936 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reprinted the South African Mining and Engineering Journal's report of a company meeting: the directors had decided to raise the capital to £300,000 "in view of the desirability of securing the Honeybird property and providing additional mill equipment," and the manager estimated that the ore in sight at the mine "should realize in excess of £250,000."¹ In November 1936 the trade journal, again citing the South African journal, reported that the company "has acquired the Honeybird claims in the Shabani fields."² In October 1938, however, it described the company as holding "a working option over the Honeybird Mine."³ In 1946 the journal wrote that "it is hoped that the Honey Bird may be turned to good account later."⁶ The company's annual report for 1949, as the journal printed it, listed "the Honeybird mine at Shabani" among its mines "producing Chrysotile Asbestos," and said it was "being worked under option by The Oceana Consolidated Co., Ltd."⁴ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1962 reported that the Honeybird mine, "a small producer at Shabani owned by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd., was closed."⁵

The documents report small or short-lived production of asbestos fiber for sale.⁵

Location

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1935

• Ownership: “Directors decided to increase capital in view of the desirability of securing the Honeybird property” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.), said by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd., as reported by South African Mining and Engineering Journal, p. 38¹
• Reserves: “Manager estimated ore in sight at the Honeybird Mine (Shabani) should realize in excess of £250,000” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.), said by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd., as reported by South African Mining and Engineering Journal, p. 38¹

1936

• Ownership: “Mashaba Rhodesia Asbestos Company has acquired the Honeybird claims in the Shabani fields” (Mashaba Rhodesia Asbestos Company), as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 39²

1938

• Ownership: “Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co. holds a working option over the Honeybird Mine” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co.), as reported by South African Engineering & Mining Journal, p. 39³

1946

• Idle: “it is hoped that the Honey Bird may be turned to good account later” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.), as reported by The South African Mining and Engineering Journal, p. 45⁶

1949

• Ownership: “This firm owns mines in Southern Rhodesia producing Chrysotile Asbestos” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.), said by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44⁴

1950

• Worked: “being worked under option by The Oceana Consolidated Co., Ltd.” (The Oceana Consolidated Co., Ltd.), said by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44⁴

1962

• Ownership: “owned by Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.), p. 11⁵
• Closed: “was closed” (Mashaba Rhodesian Asbestos Co., Ltd.), p. 11⁵

Other names

Documents call this mine “Honeybird mine”, “Honey Bird”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1936, February 1936 (February 1, 1936), p. 38.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1936, November 1936 (November 1, 1936), p. 39.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1938, October 1938 (October 1, 1938), p. 39.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1950, May 1950 (May 1, 1950), p. 44.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 11.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1946, April 1946 (April 1, 1946), p. 45.