Koegas, Cape Province

Koegas was a blue asbestos, or crocidolite, mine on the banks of the Orange River in the northern Cape Province of South Africa, worked by Cape Blue Mines, a subsidiary of the Cape Asbestos group.^3,4 In 1978 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, called it "the first Blue asbestos mine in the Cape Group" and said it "has been producing for 85 years."^4,9

The mine and its owners

In 1953 W. E. Sinclair, a consulting mining engineer writing in Asbestos, named Cape Blue Mines, "operating the Westerberg and Koegas Mines 45 miles from Prieska," as the largest producer in the south of the field.¹ The Cape Asbestos Company said in 1958 that through Cape Blue Mines it operated "blue asbestos mines at Koegas and Westerberg besides the Orange River."² The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1962 reported that Cape Blue Mines, "with the Koegas and Pomfret mines, was the world's largest producer of crocidolite."³

Mining and output

Drawing on Mineral Trade Notes, Asbestos reported in 1968 that "the resue method formerly used in mining asbestos was replaced with a system of channel mining," and that the Koegas Mine "was the world's largest producer of asbestos in 1966."⁶ For 1972 Cape reported "indications that ore reserves in the Koegas area may be greater than had been supposed."¹⁰ The trade journal gave "approximately 55,000 tons" a year as the combined production of Pomfret and Koegas in 1975 and 1976.^7,8 In 1977 it reported a new rotary dryer being installed at the Koegas mill, to handle "up to 35 metric tons of fines per hour," and in 1978 it gave the operation "an annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes."^9,11

The closing

In November 1978 the trade journal reported that "the depletion of ore reserves and uneconomic mining conditions" had led to a phasing-out, and that "the Koegas Mine is being closed this year"; a month later it wrote that the mine "is to be closed at the end of this year."^4,9 Cape Industries' report for 1978 said that sales of crocidolite "were 20% below 1977," and that production was reduced, "with the Koegas Mine being phased out and finally closing at the end of the year."¹² The Minerals Yearbook for 1978 and 1979 put it differently: "the future of their older Koegas mine is in doubt, and will be decided by the new owners, Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration, Ltd. (TCL)," which "now owns all of the asbestos mines acquired by Cape Industries since it started mining in the Republic of South Africa in 1893."¹³ The yearbook for 1981 reports that General Mining Union Corp. (Gencor) "made an offer for the former Cape Asbestos, Ltd., asbestos properties acquired in 1979" by TCL, without naming the mines.¹⁴

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁴

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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	Figure	Source
1975	55,000 tons	7
1976	55,000 tons	8

Year by year

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

1893

• Opened: “was the first Blue asbestos mine in the Cape Group and has been producing for 85 years” (Cape Asbestos S.A.), p. 8⁴

1952

• Description: “The new Riley Bridge over the Orange River at Koegas, completed in 1952, has greatly facilitated transportation”, p. 10¹⁵
• Worked: “the Cape Blue Mines operating the Westerberg and Koegas Mines 45 miles from Prieska” (Cape Blue Mines), said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 10¹

1958

• Worked: “blue asbestos mines at Koegas ... besides the Orange River in Cape Province” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty) Ltd.), said by The Cape Asbestos Company Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 46²

1962

• Worked: “Cape Blue Mines (Pty.), Ltd., ... with the Koegas and Pomfret mines, was the world's largest producer of crocidolite” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11³
• Ownership: “Cape Blue Mines (Pty.), Ltd., a subsidiary of Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.” (Cape Asbestos S.A. (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11³
• Fiber: “crocidolite” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty.), Ltd.), p. 11³

1965

• Worked: “main mining operations at Koegas/Westerberg and Pomfret have run well during 1965” (The Cape Asbestos Company Limited), said by The Cape Asbestos Company Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 24⁵

1966

• Description: “The resue method formerly used in mining asbestos was replaced with a system of channel mining” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty.) Limited), as reported by U.S. Mineral Trade Notes, p. 28⁶
• Output: “was the world's largest producer of asbestos in 1966” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty.) Limited), as reported by U.S. Mineral Trade Notes, p. 28⁶

1972

• Reserves: “The Blue mines at Koegas and Pomfret had a satisfactory year and there are indications that ore reserves in the Koegas area may be greater than had been supposed” (Cape Asbestos South Africa (Pty) Ltd.), said by Cape Asbestos Co. Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38¹⁰

1975

• Output: “runs two Crocidolite (Blue) mining and milling operations at Pomfret and Koegas (Westerberg); Combined annual production is approximately 55,000 tons” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty.) Ltd.), p. 40⁷

1976

• Output: “Annual Crocidolite production of about 55,000 tons is reported for the Pomfret and Koegas Mines” (Cape Industries Ltd.), p. 38⁸

1977

• Mill: “A new rotary dryer is being installed at the mill of the Koegas Mine; Up to 35 metric tons of fines per hour” (Cape Blue Mines (Pty) Ltd.), p. 38¹¹

1978

• Closed: “was the first Blue asbestos mine in the Cape Group and has been producing for 85 years; the Koegas Mine is being closed this year” (Cape Asbestos S.A.), p. 8⁴
• Mill: “has an annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes and has been producing for 85 years” (Cape Asbestos South Africa), p. 46⁹
• Closed: “the Koegas Mine is to be closed at the end of this year” (Cape Asbestos South Africa), p. 46⁹
• Description: “The future of their older Koegas mine is in doubt” (Cape Industries, Ltd.), p. 12¹³
• Ownership: “This company now owns all of the asbestos mines acquired by Cape Industries since it started mining in the Republic of South Africa in 1893” (Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration, Ltd. (TCL)), p. 12¹³
• Ownership: “the new owners, Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration, Ltd. (TCL)” (Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration, Ltd. (TCL)), p. 12¹³
• Closed: “production was reduced, with the Koegas Mine being phased out and finally closing at the end of the year” (Cape Industries Ltd.), said by Cape Industries Ltd., as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 43¹²

1981

• Ownership: “Gencor made an offer for the former Cape Asbestos, Ltd., asbestos properties acquired in 1979 by Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration, Ltd.” (General Mining Union Corp. (Gencor)), p. 8¹⁴

In medical studies

Medical studies in our research library that name this mine, by how they concern it. A search found every one that names the mine and an AI reader sorted them; the quotation, checked word for word against the text, shows where. Those that name the mine only in passing or in a reference list are left out.

Studies of the mine’s workers (1)

• Du Plessis H 2003: Asbestos's sorrowful legacy: a photoessay: “I was a child when I started to work at th e Koegas mine. There was a lot of dust and we inhaled a lot of dust.”

Studies of the mine’s fiber (7)

• Bloise A 2016: Trace elements in hazardous mineral fibres: “Crocidolite (Na1.96Ca0.03K0.01)2(Fe2þ 2.34Fe3þ 2.05Mg0.52)4.91(Si7.84Al0.02)7.86O21.36(OH)2.64 Koegas Mine, Northern Cape (South Africa)e”
• Bowes DR 1997: Major and trace element compositions of the UICC standard asbestos samples: “Chrysotile A Chrysotile B Amosite Crocidolite Anthophyllite Shibani, Zimbabwe Canada Penge, S Africa Koegas, S Africa Paakilla, Finland”
• Martin J 2017: Effect of accelerating voltage on beam damage of asbestos fibers in the transmission electron microscope (TEM): “crocidolite ([Na2Fe2+3Fe3+2Si8O22(OH)2]n) is from the Koegas mine in South Africa and Chrysotile B (Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4) is sourced from eight different Canadian mines.”
• Nzogo Metoule CT 2019: Hydrothermal process development for the treatment of crocidolite asbestos waste
• Pacella A 2021: Surface and bulk modifications of amphibole asbestos in mimicked gamble's solution at acidic PH: “A crocidolite sample from Koegas Mine, South Africa, supplied by the Union International for Cancer Control (UICC)”
• Pollastri S 2014: The zeta potential of mineral fibres
• Qi F 2013: Continuous exposure to chrysotile asbestos can cause transformation of human mesothelial cells via HMGB1 and TNF-α signaling: “Reference crocidolite consisted of fibers from the Koegas mine, a large asbestos mine in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.”

Other names

Documents call this mine “Koegas”, “Koegas mine”, “Koegas Mine”, “Koegas/Westerberg”.

See also

• Cape Industries, Ltd.: the company's documents, people, products and plants
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, November 1953 (November 1, 1953), p. 10.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1958, December 1958 (December 1, 1958), p. 46.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 11.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, November 1978 (November 1, 1978), p. 8.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1966, May 1966 (May 1, 1966), p. 24.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1968, January 1968 (January 1, 1968), p. 28.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 40.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 38.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 46.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1973, June 1973 (June 1, 1973), p. 38.
11. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, November 1977 (November 1, 1977), p. 38.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, July 1979 (July 1, 1979), p. 43.
13. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1978–79 (January 1, 1980), p. 12.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1981 (January 1, 1982), p. 8.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1952 (January 1, 1953), p. 10.