Kudu mine, Essexvale Estate, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

The Kudu mine was at Essexvale Estate, Bulawayo, in what was then Rhodesia, and Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, named Kudu Mine (Pvt) Ltd. of Bulawayo as its owner in 1977.^1,2 In 1976 the journal, citing the Chamber of Mines Journal, reported new equipment that "will increase daily millage from 200 metric tons to 1000 tons," and ore reserves of "about 5-million tons" in the main quarry with "another 15-million tons" beneath its floor.³ In 1977 it said annual production was to rise "from about 50,000 tons to 250,000 tons," with a new mill "to be operational by mid-1977."¹ In 1979 it wrote of "the reported increase of some 200,000 tons per year in Kudu capacity," and in 1981 of a new plant "increasing annual production capacity to some 200,000 tonnes."^4,5

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.¹

Location

Year by year

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

1976

• Mill: “A tower drier plus other equipment, recently installed at the Kudu Asbestos Mine near Essexvale, will increase daily millage from 200 metric tons to 1000 tons”, as reported by Chamber of Mines Journal, p. 40³
• Reserves: “Ore reserves in the main quarry are about 5-million tons and beneath the floor are another 15-million tons”, as reported by Chamber of Mines Journal, p. 40³

1977

• Worked: “Kudu Mine (Pvt) Ltd., Bulawayo, has the Kudu Mine at Essexvale Estate” (Kudu Mine (Pvt) Ltd.), p. 36¹
• Mill: “Annual production is to be increased at the Kudu Asbestos Mine from about 50,000 tons to 250,000 tons. The new mill was to be operational by mid-1977”, p. 36¹

1978

• Worked: “has the Kudu Asbestos Mine at Essexvale Estate; Annual production ... was to have been increased from 50,000 to 250,000 tons” (Kudu Mine (Pvt) Ltd.), p. 48²

1979

• Mill: “full operation of the new mill at the Kudu Asbestos Mine in Bulawayo; the reported increase of some 200,000 tons per year in Kudu capacity”, p. 42⁴

1980

• Mill: “a major new plant was installed at the Kudu Asbestos Mine in Bulawayo, increasing annual production capacity to some 200,000 tonnes”, as reported by Mining in Zimbabwe 1980, p. 34⁵

Other names

Documents call this mine “Kudu Asbestos Mine”, “Kudu Mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 36.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 48.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 40.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 42.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 34.