Pangani mine, near Filabusi, east of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

The Pangani mine lay near Filabusi, east of Bulawayo, in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and gave chrysotile: in December 1930 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, quoting the South African Mining & Engineering Journal, wrote that the mine "contains chrysotile asbestos and has been worked successfully for many years."^10,11

The Australian years

In April 1930 the trade journal reported that the Pangani Asbestos Mine, "recently purchased by an Australian group of investors," was "progressing favorably," and that "labor saving devices are being introduced."¹ In November it reported "a change of policy": the owners had decided "to concentrate on the main quarry," where some 20 African workers were to be employed under the supervision of J. Minogne.⁵ By December the journal, again quoting the South African journal, said the mine "was recently closed down," and that an estimated "£60,000 has been spent on option, development, flotation and construction during the last two and a half years."¹⁰ In March 1931 it reported the mine "closed down with no prospect of opening for two or three years."¹² In June 1933 the journal wrote that "the big Pangani asbestos mill at Filabusi has changed hands for re-erection on a new gold propostion in the district," and that the main office building had been sold.⁶

Small output

The journal's production table for October 1934 credits "Pangani," worked by the estate of J. S. Hancock, with 38.44 tons (2000 lbs.).⁷ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1941 names Pangani, with the Birthday, Nil Desperandum and Croft mines, among those whose chrysotile "supplemented" Southern Rhodesia's output.² In 1950 the journal, drawing on the Mining Journal of London, wrote that the mine "has been worked for many years" for the local asbestos-cement industry, "but its fibre has been sent to the Transvaal for manufacture."³ A table of producing mines printed in June 1956 gave Pangani Asbest Ltd.'s Pangani mine, in the Filabusi district, an average monthly production of 25 short tons.⁸ W. E. Sinclair wrote in 1960 that the Schmidheiny (Swiss Group) "produced 12,662 tons of fibre in 1958 from the Boss Mine, Serpentine and Pangani Mines," a figure for the group's mines together.⁴

The new open pit

The yearbook reported that in 1961 "a reportedly rich asbestos ore body was being explored at the Pangani mine."¹¹ For 1962, citing Rhodesian Mining and Engineering, it said that expansion of the Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd., operations "was announced," that "three ore bodies containing reserves estimated to total 5.5 million tons of fiber were being prepared for open-pit mining," and that "an output of 30,000 tons of fiber per year was anticipated."⁹ The fiber, it said, "was expected to be sold mainly to asbestos manufacturers in Europe, and some to users in South America, South Africa, and the Far East."⁹

The sources agree that the new mine was officially opened on August 9, 1963, but give its cost in different currencies: Asbestos called it "Southern Rhodesia's new £1,500,000 asbestos mine at Filabusi," opened by the Prime Minister, Winston Field, while the yearbook called it "the new $4.2 million Pangani Asbestos mine."^13,14 Both said mining would be mainly open pit, the journal speaking of "the removal of 4,500,000 tons of overburden before ore recovery can begin" and the yearbook of "4.5 million tons."^13,14 The plan was in stages: "the first stage is the production of 10,000 tons of fiber a year," and "the second and third stages will each increase production by a further 10,000 tons a year," in the journal's words, while the yearbook said that "in the last two stages production will be boosted to 30,000 tons per year."^13,14 The yearbook named Asbestos Investments (Pty.) Ltd. as "the parent company of Pangani Asbestos Mine Ltd."¹⁴ For 1964 it reported that "more than 1 million tons of overburden was removed," and that the company "plans to remove 5 million tons of overburden, uncovering about 4 million tons of asbestos ore."¹⁵ For 1965, drawing on the Mining Journal, the yearbook said the mine "is being reopened and equipped to produce a grade of fiber suitable for export to asbestos cement manufacturers."¹⁶

The last years

In 1975 Asbestos wrote that Asbestos Investments "controls the Boss, Pangani, Rex and Vanguard Mines in the Bulawayo/Shabanie area."¹⁷ In 1977 it reported that Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt) Ltd., of Filabusi, "runs the Pangani Mine at Winnifred, Bulawayo," together with the Vanguard and Boss mines and a central fiber plant.¹⁸ In January 1981 the journal described "the Swiss-controlled Asbestos Investments" as operating "the Pangani, Boss and Vanguard Mines."¹⁹ The yearbook for 1981 reports that "Amiantos of Switzerland closed, in April of 1981, its Pangani, Vanguard, and Buss Mines," and that "the no-longer-viable mines produced only 5% of Zimbabwean asbestos."²⁰

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	Figure	Source
1934	38.4 tons (2000 lbs.)	7
1955	25 short tons per month (average)	8
1962	30,000 tons of fiber per year	9
1963	10,000 tons of fiber a year (first stage, planned)	13
1963	10,000 tons of fiber per year	14
1963	30,000 tons per year	14

Year by year

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

1928

• Description: “£60,000 spent on option, development, flotation and construction in the last two and a half years”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 59¹⁰

1930

• Ownership: “Recently purchased by an Australian group of investors”, p. 54¹
• Description: “Labor saving devices being introduced”, p. 54¹
• Workforce: “Concentrating on the main quarry where some 20 boys will be employed”, p. 57⁵
• Closed: “Recently closed down; now owned by an Australian concern”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 59¹⁰
• Fiber: “Chrysotile; worked successfully for many years”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 59¹⁰

1931

• Idle: “Closed down with no prospect of opening for two or three years”, as reported by South African Mining & Engineering Journal, p. 51¹²

1933

• Mill: “The big Pangani asbestos mill at Filabusi changed hands for re-erection on a gold proposition”, p. 35⁶

1934

• Output: “Pangani (Est.) J. S. Hancock (decd.) July/Oct.: 38.44 tons (2000 lbs.), October 1934” (Estate of J. S. Hancock), p. 32⁷

1941

• Worked: “Its output of chrysotile is supplemented by that of the ... Pangani ... mines”, p. 10²

1950

• Worked: “The Pangani Mine at Filabusi has been worked for many years”, as reported by The Mining Journal (London), April 28, 1950, p. 16³
• Buyers: “The Pangani Mine at Filabusi has been worked for many years for this purpose but its fibre has been sent to the Transvaal”, as reported by The Mining Journal (London), April 28, 1950, p. 16³

1955

• Output: “Pangani Asbest Ltd. | Pangani | 25” (Pangani Asbest Ltd.), p. 10⁸

1958

• Worked: “the Schmidheiny (Swiss Group), which produced 12,662 tons of fibre in 1958 from the ... Pangani Mines” (Schmidheiny (Swiss Group)), said by W. E. Sinclair, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 10⁴

1961

• Exploration: “A reportedly rich asbestos ore body was being explored at the Pangani mine”, p. 11¹¹

1962

• Exploration: “Expansion of the Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd., operations near Filabusi ... was announced” (Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd.), as reported by Rhodesian Mining and Engineering (Salisbury), p. 11⁹
• Output: “An output of 30,000 tons of fiber per year was anticipated” (Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd.), as reported by Rhodesian Mining and Engineering (Salisbury), p. 11⁹
• Buyers: “expected to be sold mainly to asbestos manufacturers in Europe” (Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd.), as reported by Rhodesian Mining and Engineering (Salisbury), p. 11⁹
• Reserves: “Three ore bodies containing reserves estimated to total 5.5 million tons of fiber were being prepared for open-pit mining” (Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd.), as reported by Rhodesian Mining and Engineering (Salisbury), p. 11⁹

1963

• Description: “Mining will be mainly opencast calling for the removal of 4,500,000 tons of overburden before ore recovery can begin”, p. 24¹³
• Output: “The first stage is the production of 10,000 tons of fiber a year. The second and third stages will each increase production by a further 10,000 tons a year”, p. 24¹³
• Ownership: “Asbestos Investments (Pty.) Ltd., is the parent company of Pangani Asbestos Mine Ltd.” (Asbestos Investments (Pty.) Ltd.), as reported by E&MJ Metal and Mineral Markets, p. 10¹⁴
• Output: “In the first, 10,000 tons of fiber per year will be produced”, as reported by E&MJ Metal and Mineral Markets, p. 9¹⁴
• Output: “In the last two stages production will be boosted to 30,000 tons per year”, as reported by E&MJ Metal and Mineral Markets, p. 9¹⁴
• Description: “Mining will be mainly open pit, which requires removal of 4.5 million tons of overburden”, as reported by E&MJ Metal and Mineral Markets, p. 10¹⁴
• Opened: “Pangani Mine, Southern Rhodesia's new £1,500,000 asbestos mine at Filabusi, was officially opened by the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Field, on August 9th, 1963”, p. 24¹³
• Opened: “The new $4.2 million Pangani Asbestos mine at Filabusi ... was officially opened on August 9”, as reported by E&MJ Metal and Mineral Markets, p. 9¹⁴

1964

• Exploration: “more than 1 million tons of overburden was removed” (Asbestos Investments (Pty.), Ltd.), as reported by South African Mining and Engineering Journal, p. 10¹⁵
• Reserves: “plans to remove 5 million tons of overburden, uncovering about 4 million tons of asbestos ore” (Asbestos Investments (Pty.), Ltd.), as reported by South African Mining and Engineering Journal, p. 10¹⁵

1965

• Opened: “The Pangani mine near Filabusi is being reopened”, as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 8¹⁶

1975

• Worked: “controls the Boss, Pangani, Rex and Vanguard Mines in the Bulawayo/Shabanie area” (Asbestos Investments Pty. Ltd.), p. 44¹⁷

1977

• Worked: “runs the Pangani Mine at Winnifred, Bulawayo” (Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt) Ltd.), p. 36¹⁸

1980

• Worked: “operates the Pangani, Boss and Vanguard Mines” (Asbestos Investments), p. 33¹⁹

1981

• Output: “The no-longer-viable mines produced only 5% of Zimbabwean asbestos” (Amiantos), p. 8²⁰
• Closed: “Amiantos of Switzerland closed, in April of 1981, its Pangani ... Mines” (Amiantos), p. 8²⁰

Other names

Documents call this mine “Pangani mine”, “Pangani Asbestos Mines (Pvt.), Ltd., operations”, “Pangani Asbestos mine”, “new Pangani mine near Filabusi”, “Pangani”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, April 1930 (April 1, 1930), p. 54.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1941 (January 1, 1942), p. 10.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1950, August 1950 (August 1, 1950), p. 16.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, April 1960 (April 1, 1960), p. 10.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, November 1930 (November 1, 1930), p. 57.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1933, June 1933 (June 1, 1933), p. 35.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1935, January 1935 (January 1, 1935), p. 32.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1956, June 1956 (June 1, 1956), p. 10.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 11.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1930, December 1930 (December 1, 1930), p. 59.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 11.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1931, March 1931 (March 1, 1931), p. 51.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1963, September 1963 (September 1, 1963), p. 24.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1963 (January 1, 1964), pp. 9–10.
15. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 10.
16. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1965 (January 1, 1966), p. 8.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 44.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 36.
19. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 33.
20. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1981 (January 1, 1982), p. 8.