eGGSA Graves: Northern Cape

Cemetery information:- THE DUTOITSPAN CEMETERY HISTORY, by Steve Lunderstedt THE DUTOITSPAN, BULTFONTEIN AND WESSELTON MINES The official recorded discovery of diamonds in what later became Kimberley was in October/November 1869, although unconfirmed sources do suggest it may have been a few months earlier. Known initially as the “dry diggings”, the Dutoitspan Mine was the first diamond mine discovered, followed a few days later by the adjacent Bultfontein Mine. Both these mines were on the Orange Free State registered farms known as Dorstfontein and Bultfontein, which were later incorporated into the Cape Colony. The Wesselton Mine was the last of the big five mines to be discovered, this in September 1890 on the farm owned by Johannes Wessels. Originally known as the Premier Mine, it was re-named Wesselton Mine in 1904. De Beers Consolidated Mines took overall ownership of the Dutoitspan and Bultfontein mines in July 1889, and of the Wesselton Mine in December 1891. All three mines opened and closed at various times in their history, and in September 2007 the De Beers Company sold them to the mining company Petra Diamonds. Petra Diamonds joined forces with Ekapa Mining in July 2016 to form Kimberley Ekapa Mining JV (Joint Venture), and in June 2018 Kimberley Ekapa Mining bought out the Petra Diamonds shares, thus becoming the sole owner of the three mines. THE VILLAGES The discovery of diamonds in the region during 1869 saw two settlements spring up – the villages of Dutoitspan and Bultfontein and both on the edge of the respective mines. The former was a larger settlement with both businesses and residences on several streets while Bultfontein had only the one main street. With the pits becoming larger it became essential for safety reasons to relocate both villages, this being done in 1883 when Beaconsfield town was established. All who owned property in the villages eventually relocated to Beaconsfield, a town in its own right before amalgamating with Kimberley in 1912. Beaconsfield became a suburb of the much larger but younger city of Kimberley. The only tangible remains of the two villages is the Dutoitspan cemetery. THE DUTOITSPAN CEMETERY The sudden influx of people into the region and subsequent development of the villages saw the need for an official demarcated cemetery. Initially, those who died from October 1869 were buried anywhere outside of the inhabited sections but by early 1871 the Dutoitspan cemetery was being utilised. By middle July that same year there were already 43 graves in the cemetery, specifically designed in the shape of a coffin. This cemetery is Kimberley’s first such. The cemetery was later enlarged to include separate Jewish and Moslem sections, and the Christian sections were extended in both a northerly and westerly direction. In use until 1982, only those who had family plots were allowed burials after the official closure. The commission of the De Beers Consolidated Mines Combined Treatment Plant in 2001 saw demarcation of the mining area alter, and the cemetery became a no-go area for the general public, visitors still being allowed but with a security escort to visit their loved ones graves. (CTP officially opened for business in 2004). Vandalism of the graves, headstones and crosses during the 1980s and 1990s ceased once the cemetery was closed to the general public, which was good news in this regard, but the damage and general neglect of the cemetery was there for all to see. It is a municipal cemetery. PERSONALITIES BURIED IN THE CEMETERY There are some people who had very interesting lives who lie buried here. These personalities include infamous murderess Daisy de Melker’s grandmother Mary Hancorn Smith, Magistrate George Bradshaw, Wesselton mine discoverer Henry Ward, Springbok rugby player Henry Boyes, De Beers Secretary and Director William Pickering, his wife Ethel who fired the first shell of the famed Long Cecil gun made during the Siege, Cecil Rhodes’ friend and confidante Neville Pickering, decorated soldier Lt-Colonel Thomas Peakman, mine manager TJ Woodburne, attorney Selby Coryndon, HMS Birkenhead survivor William McCluskey (who was murdered), Beaconsfield’s first Mayor Samuel Austen, Kimberley’s first Freeman of the City, Harry Solomon, John Larkin Fry, and many more. REHABILITATION In June 2017 Kimberley Ekapa Mining decided to rehabilitate the cemetery, a massive undertaking that took 15 months to complete, the rededication service taking place on 26 September 2018 as part of the national Heritage Month. This munificent gesture saw a general clean up, clearing invasive trees, shrubs and bushes, as well as an overgrown and unkempt cemetery. Headstones and crosses were repaired and cleaned, overspill from tailing heaps were suctioned off many buried graves, the Jewish Prayer Hall was cleared of rubble, and most scrap metal, bottles, broken vases, destroyed railings and other refuse removed. Special machinery had to be manufactured for the lifting of heavy granite or marble that had been vandalised. Demarcated pathways were made neat and the gate and horse rail repaired and painted. During this entire time a photographic record of the headstones and crosses was documented, and in conjunction with this, the cemetery has also been divided into lettered and numbered sections, thus making any visit by families that much easier to find their loved ones buried within. A memorial wall has been built for visitors to pay their respects and lay flowers should their loved ones not have a marked grave with headstone. THE REHABILITATION TEAM There are many to be thanked for their involvement in returning the cemetery to as near pristine condition as is possible. Kimberley Ekapa Mining Board and Management, Ester van der Westhuizen-Coetzer, Nikki Stewart Hans Voster and his team: Neko Sandile, Selby Hlatswayo, William Modupi, Teko Matabathe also Hencon/Afriveyor, Manie Groenewald, Staff of the Kimberley Africana Library, Steve Lunderstedt, Jackie and Michael Solomon --oOo-- Album incomplete, we do not have photographs of all the headstones in the cemetery. The photos by Kimberley Ekapa Mining JV Mine (Nikki Steward) were taken before the rehabilitation of the cemetery in 2018. eGGSA captions by Celeste Rachmann, Andries Holtzhausen, Eileen de Jager, Peter and Beverley Moss & Riana le Roux The GGSA Cemetery DVD only has information on the location of the cemetery Cemetery ID: 2865 Information submitted by: Henry Northall Google Earth Project Information:- GPSID: 3431 GPS: -28 45.341, 24 48.303