The Big Hole, Kimberley Diamond Mine in South Africa - Bonus Clip | THE UNJUST & US
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
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During our journey back from Nairobi to Cape Town, we stopped to check out The Big Hole, a diamond mine in Kimberley, South Africa. This deleted scene gives a more detailed look at our visit to this unique place.
The Big Hole, Open Mine, Kimberley Mine or Tim Kuilmine is an open-pit and underground mine, and claimed to be the deepest hole excavated by hand, although this claim is disputed.
The first diamonds here were found by Erasmus Jacobs on Colesberg Kopje by members of the "Red Cap Party" from Colesberg on the farm Vooruitzigt belonging to the De Beers brothers, in 1871. The ensuing scramble for claims led to the place being called New Rush, later renamed Kimberley in 1873. From mid-July 1871 to 1914 up to 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,720 kilograms (6,000 lb; 13,600,000 carats) of diamonds.
Since the early 2000s, an effort to register the Big Hole as a World Heritage Site has been underway.
In 1872, one year after digging started, the population of the camp of diggers grew to around 50,000. As digging progressed, many men met their deaths in mining accidents. The unsanitary conditions, scarcity of water and fresh vegetables as well as the intense heat in the summer, also took their toll. On 13 March 1888 the leaders of the various mines decided to amalgamate the separate diggings into one big mine and one big company known as De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited, with life governors such as Cecil John Rhodes, Alfred Beit, and Barney Barnato. This huge company further worked on the Big Hole until it came to the depth of 215 metres, with a surface area of about 17 hectares and perimeter of 1.6 kilometres. By 14 August 1914, when over 22 million tons of earth had been excavated, yielding 3,000 kilograms (14,504,566 carats) of diamonds, work on the mine ceased after it was considered the largest hand-dug excavation on earth. By 2005, however, it was reported that a researcher had re-examined mine records and found that the hand-dug portions of the Jagersfontein and Bultfontein diamond mines, also in South Africa, may have been deeper and/or larger in excavated volume. There are other, larger, mine excavations, but these were created using earth-moving equipment rather than manual labour.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is a global diamond certification system. The certification scheme was adopted on 1 January 2003 and renders any global trade of diamonds without government issued certificate as illegal. The efficacy of the Kimberley Process is dependent on its state-led border controls however, these are being undermined by weaker national governments. Organizations such as the Global Witness pulled out of the scheme on 5 December 2011, claiming that the scheme does not provide markets with certainty that the diamonds are not conflict diamonds. Both the Kimberley Process and the US Clean Diamond Trade Act aim to ensure that purchased diamonds are 'morally clean' and are not associated with any foul play. Leonardo DiCaprio's movie Blood Diamond reveals the foul play that can exist in diamond trade and a reference to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is made at the end of the film.
With mining operations closed down in 1914, the open pit became an attraction for visitors to the city. By the 1960s, a gathering together of relics of Kimberley's early days, including old buildings and sundry memorabilia, began to be organised into a formal museum and tourist attraction. In 1965 De Beers appointed Basil Humphreys as museum consultant, with the museum being substantially upgraded as an open-air representation of early Kimberley. These upgrades included streetscapes, dioramas, and exhibits of mining technology and transport. There was an official opening during the Kimberley centenary celebrations in 1971. One of the attractions was the Diamond Hall. The Mine Museum went through subsequent upgrades. Between 2002 and 2005 De Beers invested R50 million in developing the Big Hole into a tourism facility, based on the idea of creating "a lasting legacy for the people of Kimberley." The new facility, the Big Hole Kimberley, and its theme of 'Diamonds and Destiny', was expected to double visitor numbers to the Big Hole.
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#bighole #kimberley #diamondmine
Kimberly should’ve been the wealthiest city. Unfortunately that’s not the case
A crime scene. So many Black lives lost here
It used to look more impressive. However, over time, it has filled with water. I remember it as a child when the water level was way below what you see in the picture. Then off course, you also didn't have the observation deck and surrounds which are the actual old buildings relocated. If I remember correctly, there was a platform from which one could throw rocks into the gaping void.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
My pleasure. Close family friends in fact used to reside at the corrugated zinc corner shop/house opposite the Star of the West Hotel ( I think that's what it's called) a little way further down the road from the mine's current entrance.
@@kykweer1its seems you lyks r travelling?
Bte thnkx again🙂
Born in Kimberley 1952. Was great then...😢😢
"That's what she said." Hahahaha!!!
Very interesting and informative. Thank you
It’s an uncomfortable view from here.
Looking back in time to the giants who walked before us, exploiting locals in the name of greed. An uncomfortable truth that has been around since the dawn of time & continues to persist in spite of how far mankind has come - exploitation and greed remain a consistent.
The “locals” got a break from hacking each other to death with machetes, and now have stylish soccer jerseys, iPhones, eat bush meat and have resumed hacking each other to death. It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?
I named my daughter Kimberley after this diamond mine...born 2010 in December.
Why?
Kimberley is my birth place
Wow
Cool.
Big holy holm
Kimberly City I love I stay long time I miss this City number 5 number 2
Is that water 💧
Ek was as kind jare gelede baie by die gat. Daar was verseker baie minder water in daai gat. Al was ek klein onthou ek dit nog baie goed en dit was indrukwekkend. Sou graag meer wou lees oor die feite soos die ontstaan van die gat en wat is in daai water, hoe diep is die gat want ek dink met vandag se tegnologie gaan ons meer kan leer omtrent die geskiedkundige gat.
cool video!
The movie , Misery , brought me here.
Dugg by hand.
LOL ... "that's what she said" ....
you luck visit to Kimberley diamond mine 👍👀
This belongs to the natives n still u people are exploiting thwir resources, n this is not justice 😭
the minerals attracted early settlers. built up infrastructure and kick started industrial revolutions on the continent adding to the economy. If the indigenous people of said land did not have the technology or knowledge to do something at the time, can you really blame the settlers.
Locals are allowed to get permits to mine these days
THEY WERE NOT SCAVENGING FOR DIAMONDS... THE BIGGEST LIE IN HISTORY EVER TOLD!!!