Munnik Myburgh mine, Kaapsche Hoop district, Transvaal

The Munnik-Myburgh mine was a chrysotile mine in the Kaapsche Hoop district of the eastern Transvaal, South Africa, lying, as Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, put it in 1928, "east of the Amianthus" mine, under the escarpment.^1,6 The sources date its start differently: a 1959 article in Asbestos says the Amianthus and Munnik Myburgh mines "started exploitation of the deposits situated on the lower slopes of the Drakensberg range (1909)."³ The mining engineer W. E. Sinclair wrote in the same journal in 1944 that "energetic pioneers built roads and opened up the deposits with the aid of ox wagon transport" in 1915, and in 1961 that the mine "was first opened up in 1915, but the earliest output was only officially recorded in 1925."^4,5

In 1928 the Munnik-Myburgh Asbestos Co., Ltd. worked the mine, and Asbestos reported production "only somewhere between 100 and 200 tons a month," sorted into "four grades of hand-cobbed crude and two grades of mill fibre."^1,6 In 1931, the trade journal reported from the S. A. Mining & Engineering Journal, the board of Munnik Myburgh Asbestos (Kaapsche Hoop) Ltd. decided "temporarily to suspend operations," because most of its contracts were with Australian firms who could hardly "arrange for credits in South Africa."⁷ In 1937 Asbestos wrote that the company's shares "were reported to have been acquired by the Cape Asbestos Company."² In 1938 the Cape company's chairman, Walker, said that "the partial collapse suffered by the Munnik-Myburgh Mine owing to abnormal rains" had proved serious and that "there is a possibility of closing down this project."¹⁰

An unsigned 1941 article in Asbestos said of this mine and New Amianthus that "depletion of reserves has led to their closing down," and the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1942 called the mines "now virtually worked out."^9,11 In 1953 Sinclair wrote that "the old Munnik Myburgh mine at Kaapsche Hoop has been reopened," and in 1954 that it was among mines that "have either reduced the extent of their operations or closed."^12,13 In 1961 he wrote of "its recent closure," after a working life "not without its share of viscissitudes and dormant periods."⁵ He described the main channel, "known locally as the Munnik Line," as "parallel veins of cross-fibre chrysotile," and said the plant produced "five mill grades besides four long fibre (crude) grades" mainly by screening.⁵

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁸

Year by year

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

1909

• Opened: “the Amianthus and Munnik Myburgh mines started exploitation of the deposits situated on the lower slopes of the Drakensberg range (1909)”, p. 6³

1915

• Opened: “Deposits opened up in 1915 by pioneers with ox wagon transport; since known as the Munnik-Myburgh Mine; superior chrysotile until fairly recently”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8⁴
• Opened: “was first opened up in 1915, but the earliest output was only officially recorded in 1925”, said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4⁵

1925

• Idle: “not without its share of viscissitudes and dormant periods due either to recessions in the industry or economic setbacks caused by mining difficulties”, said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4⁵

1928

• Worked: “that of the Munnik-Myburgh Asbestos Co., Ltd.” (Munnik-Myburgh Asbestos Co., Ltd.), p. 7¹
• Output: “somewhere between 100 and 200 tons a month”, p. 33⁶
• Mill: “four grades of hand-cobbed crude and two grades of mill fibre”, p. 33⁶
• Fiber: “also producing the chrysotile variety”, p. 33⁶

1929

• Description: “the rolling character of the Kaapsche Hoop (E. Transvaal, Africa) District”, p. 22¹⁴

1931

• Mill: “Recent additions to the mill and hauling plant working satisfactorily” (Munnik Myburgh Asbestos (Kaapsche Hoop) Ltd.), as reported by S. A. Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 51⁷
• Idle: “Board decided temporarily to suspend operations at the mine at Kaapsche Hoop” (Munnik Myburgh Asbestos (Kaapsche Hoop) Ltd.), as reported by S. A. Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 51⁷

1934

• Output: “No difficulty disposing of the mine output in the year ended June 30, 1934; capital expenditure will shortly increase output” (Munnik Myburgh Asbestos (Kaapsche Hoop) Limited), said by Munnik Myburgh Asbestos (Kaapsche Hoop) Limited, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40⁸

1937

• Output: “Mine capable of expanded production; Cape Asbestos taking steps; demand has overstepped supply” (Cape Asbestos Company), p. 36²
• Ownership: “Shares reported acquired by the Cape Asbestos Company; a small firm operating a white asbestos mine adjoining the Amianthus mine” (Cape Asbestos Company; The Munnik-Myburgh Asbestos Company), p. 36²

1938

• Idle: “Partial collapse of the Munnik-Myburgh Mine owing to abnormal rains; possibility of closing down” (Cape Asbestos Company), said by Cape Asbestos Company (chairman Mr. Walker), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 37¹⁰

1941

• Closed: “depletion of reserves has led to their closing down” (Munnik-Myburgh Asbestos Ltd.), p. 14⁹

1942

• Reserves: “The mines are now virtually worked out”, p. 9¹¹
• Output: “Some years ago there was a large production of chrysotile from the ... Munnik Myburgh mines in the Kaapsche Hoop district of eastern Transvaal”, p. 9¹¹

1953

• Opened: “The old Munnik Myburgh mine at Kaapsche Hoop has been reopened”, said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹²

1954

• Idle: “the Munnik Myburgh ... have either reduced the extent of their operations or closed down”, said by W. E. Sinclair, M.I.M.M. (Consulting Mining Engineer), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4¹³

1961

• Fiber: “parallel veins of cross-fibre chrysotile that dipped to the North”, said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6⁵
• Closed: “The closing of the Munnik-Myburgh Mine, in the Eastern Transvaal ... The working life of the mine, until its recent closure”, said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4⁵
• Mill: “The plant was one of the few that have produced five mill grades besides four long fibre (crude) grades of highest quality fibre mainly by screening”, said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4⁵

Other names

Documents call this mine “Munnik Myburgh”, “Munnik-Myburgh Mine”, “Munnik Mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1928, May 1928 (May 1, 1928), p. 7.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1937, September 1937 (September 1, 1937), p. 36.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1959, August 1959 (August 1, 1959), p. 6.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, August 1944 (August 1, 1944), p. 8.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1961, October 1961 (October 1, 1961), pp. 4, 6.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1928, June 1928 (June 1, 1928), p. 33.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, March 1931 (March 1, 1931), p. 51.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1935, February 1935 (February 1, 1935), p. 40.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1941, May 1941 (May 1, 1941), p. 14.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1938, June 1938 (June 1, 1938), p. 37.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1942 (January 1, 1943), p. 9.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, December 1953 (December 1, 1953), p. 12.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1954, June 1954 (June 1, 1954), p. 4.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1929, March 1929 (March 1, 1929), p. 22.