Klipfontein mine and mill, Klipfontein, Postmasburg District, Cape Province

Klipfontein, in the Postmasburg District of South Africa's Cape Province, was a crocidolite mine and mill run by Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Eternit group through Asbestos Investments (Pty.) Ltd., according to Asbestos, the industry's trade journal.^1,2,3 In December 1975 the journal reported that the company had "earlier this year opened a new mine and mill at Klipfontein," with a "ten-story modern mill."² The same report said the product would be bagged and shipped to the plant of Danielskuil Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd. at Ouplaas, and gave a "target production for the two subsidiaries" together of 60,000 tons per annum.² In 1976 the journal said the Eternit company "produces about 60,000 tons per year of Crocidolite" through the two subsidiaries, with Kuruman running "two mills at Whitebank and a mine and mill at Klipfontein."¹ For 1978 and 1979 it gave the Klipfontein facility's output as 18,000 tons a year.^3,4

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.³

Location

Output the documents report

Figures as printed, in the units each document uses (short tons before about 1990, metric tons after, in most U.S. chapters). Some are a year's output, some a daily rate or a capacity, some a company's total rather than this mine's alone; the statement for that year below says which.

Year by year

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

1975

• Opened: “earlier this year opened a new mine and mill at Klipfontein” (Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd.), p. 42²
• Output: “Target production for the two subsidiaries is 60,000 tons per annum” (Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd.), p. 42²

1976

• Worked: “operates two mills at Whitebank and a mine and mill at Klipfontein” (Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty) Ltd.), p. 38¹

1978

• Output: “a new mining/milling facility at Klipfontein, Postmasburg District, has an output of 18,000 tons per annum” (Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty) Ltd.), p. 46³

1979

• Output: “a new mining/milling facility at Klipfontein, Postmasburg District (18,000 tons per year)” (Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty) Ltd.), p. 42⁴

See also

• Eternit (Asbestos Investments (Pty.) Ltd.): the company's documents, people, products and plants
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 38.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 42.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 46.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 42.