We
both slept well and were awake really early. Our clothes were not
yet dry as the tumble dryer had absolutely no heat whatsoever so we
left them draped over chairs and headed off for breakfast. For the
price of the room I’d expected to get a cup of tea and a piece of
toast but it was a full cooked breakfast and very tasty too. Today
is Gabriel, one of the owners, birthday. As we were eating we got
snatches of the ladies in the kitchen singing. Soon Gabriel appeared
and all the staff together with his wife and daughter gathered round
to sing him a birthday song. The standard Happy Birthday was
preceded by the Lord’s Prayer. The singing was superb seeming to
rumble up from the stomach and it was a really melodic harmony led
by one voice that was stronger than the rest. There seemed to be
genuine affection between the white owners and the black staff,
something we have not really seen in Namibia.
With internet access available at the hotel we camped out to
start the mammoth upload that we had wanted to do last night. Unlike
last night’s connection this one was very fast and stable and we
were soon making a dent in our list of stuff to do. Gabriel, the
owner, was talking to an elderly British couple about a gold mine
nearby that you can visit and it sounded quite interesting. About
half an hour later he asked us if we wanted to go to it too. We had
planned to spend the day at the hotel but decided to go. We had a
quick rush around to get ready and were soon off and out.
Our driver, Alfred, was a really entertaining guy who pointed
out the local sights as we drove along. We had to go into the centre
of Johannesburg to drop off an Algerian guy at the bus station for
his 19 hour bus journey down to Cape Town. The hotel seems to give
people free transfers to and from the hotel which is a really great
service. The centre of Johannesburg is not one of the nicest places
I have been to. In some ways it looks just like any other city with
a few high rise office blocks and lots of shops. Some of the
buildings are very old and wouldn’t be out of place in a large
British city but many are new. The whole place though has a seedy
feel and it doesn’t really make you want to wander around it.
After dropping off the Algerian guy we headed to the Carlton
Centre where they have a viewing platform on the 50th
floor. On the way we came across some sort of a protest with lots of
people marching along the road chanting and banging long sticks on
the floor. It reminded me of the Zulu war dances you see in films
and but for the modern clothes and police escort it could have been.
We have no idea what they were protesting about but I sensed from
Alfred that protests like this happen on a fairly regular basis.
We drove around for a few minutes looking for a parking space
and were then ushered across the road and into the centre. The
entrance to the tower is tucked away down a level from the street
and you have to pay R7.50 (about 75p) to get in. It is well worth it
though because you get great views out over the city. Alfred showed
us the various local landmarks and while he was proud of his city on
the one hand he also told us that it had changed a lot in recent
years and is no longer the clean and safe place it used to be.
From here we carried on to the gold mine. This is just on the
outskirts of town and is key to the city’s history - Johannesburg
was founded as a gold rush city as it is home to the world’s largest
gold reef. What we hadn’t realised that the mine was closed in 1977
so rather than visiting a working mine we were visiting a theme park
that has been built on the former mining sites. It comes complete
with casino, roller coaster rides, souvenir and curio shops as well
as pretty gardens but you can also go down into the mine and see a
gold pouring demonstration.
Zulu warrior at Gold Reef City
Having made a detour in town we only had a couple of hours in
the park, which wasn’t really long enough to walk around and see all
the old mining related buildings and bit and pieces that are still
housed there. We went to see the gold pouring demonstration which
was really interesting. You have your bag searched on the way in and
then sit in a small auditorium. In front of you at ground level is
the demonstration area. Behind it to the left is a hug walk in safe
and in the centre is a small electric furnace.
We were sat in the third row, probably about ten metres away
from the furnace. When the doors to the furnace were opened the
blast of heat coming out of them made me catch my breath. The inside
glowed a bright orange and you could see two crucibles that were
full of molten gold. It took two men to bring the crucible out and
to pour the contents into a mould. Gold is a cold metal and molten
gold cools very quickly. A couple of minutes after pouring the gold
into the mould they tipped the mould out and there was an unpolished
gold bar weighing 12kilos.
That one was put back into the crucible and back into the
furnace in preparation for the next demonstration but out of the
safe was wheeled another gold bar, this time a polished and shiny
one. As we all filed out we were allowed to pick up the bar and test
its weight. The other couple from our hotel were also there and like
me they tried to persuade the chap to let us take it with us but we
failed. It was a strange sensation to be holding over £100,000 of
gold in my hands.
From the gold pour we went for the underground mine tour. It’s
a short tour lasting just over half an hour but worth it to see the
conditions the miners used to work in. We went down shaft number 14
in the original miners lift with hard hats and battery lamps so that
we could see where we were going. In all the mine has 57 different
levels to it, the deepest taking two hours to reach from the
surface, time the miners who worked there were not paid for. We only
went down to level 5, a short hop in the overall scale of things.
Most of the mine is now flooded as water has not been pumped
out since it closed in 1977. However they are still pumping water
out from level 19 (why was not made clear and I forgot to ask). The
water is then recycled and used to keep the mining equipment cool so
in time it ends up back at level 19 ready to be pumped out again. I
had expected the mine tunnels to be very small and cramped but for
the most part we could easily walk standing up. The mine was
electrified in and the 1920’s vastly improving conditions for those
working there. Prior to that each miner was issued with 4 candles a
day to light their way and enable them to see what they were doing.
The miners drilled holes into the rock, at the rate of 1 per
day, which would then enable the rock to be cut away. Dynamite used
to be used in the mine although they could only store it below
ground for up to 48 hours, after which it would become so moist that
it was not useable. Modern mines now use plastic explosives. As
conditions improved in the mines men hacking away with a chisel and
hammer were replaced by power drills with five or six drills
operating in the same area at any one time. The noise must have been
incredible.
Our guide showed us where the gold seam was and how the
tunnels themselves were shaped to follow the seam. On level 5 the
tunnels are wide enough for a small “train” to run carrying the
excavate ore up to the surface. Shoots lead down from level 4 so
that the ore excavated from there could be sent down to level 5 to
then go up to the surface. It is all shored up with large wooden
posts and long metal poles that are drilled and screwed into the
rock bed to take the pressure and weight of the rocks above.
Our guide stated that this mine had not suffered from rock
falls but the miners all knew the drill if one did happen. They
would follow the draft of cold air which would lead them back to a
lift shaft. It was likely that they would have to find their way in
the dark and to ensure they didn’t get lost they would walk with
their left foot against the rails of the train track. We had to turn
off our lamps and give it a go and I can tell you it was hard work
and difficult to do. It was pitch black ahead and very difficult to
walk in an unfamiliar place without being able to see even your hand
in front of your face.
Escape routes were also incorporated into the mine design in
case the lifts were out of action. From level 5 it is a 1,000+ step
climb up to the surface, a trip that takes about an hour to
complete, if you’re fit! The mine is still an attraction though and
as well as the people that visit during the day they have turned one
of the “caves” of the mine into a private function room and bar so
you can have a party down there if you want to. It’s quite an
original setting. I wonder what the people who worked here, just
under 7,000 per day, would think of that.
After the mine we had just enough time to sneak a quick look
in the casino before Alfred came to pick us up. It was very
reminiscent of the ones we went into in Canada with row upon row of
slot machines. Here they all had a small number pad and if you
pushed number 3 someone would come and take your drinks order, just
one more way to keep the punters playing without interruption. The
whole casino was decorated to look like an old gold rush mining
town.
Outside we all sat and waited fro Alfred to arrive and he did
just a few minutes after the time we had agreed. The poor chap had
had a terrible time. For the few minutes before he dropped us off
the minibus had started to make a rather strange sound and it seemed
to be leaking water. About five minutes after he left us, as he was
climbing uphill on the motorway the bus conked out and overheated.
He had to call Gabriel from the hotel to come and help him out and
was only just back on the road. I think he was starving hungry and
very thirsty.
Back at the hotel we got back down to catching up with all our
internet stuff. Wafts of gammon ham cooking kept coming through to
us and tantalising our taste buds. We later ate at the hotel and the
food was simple but mouth wateringly delicious. It was a really
tasty home cooked meal of gammon, rice, spinach, coleslaw, and
mashed pumpkin. They have a lot of cargo pilots staying at the hotel
and the home cooked food seems to be part of the draw.
