A gold mine so successful it once fueled South Africa’s economy was left as a complete ghost town (Image: Getty)
This gold mine, at its peak, was one of the biggest mines in this country and boasted of having the highest per capita earnings in the world. The mine was so successful that it helped drive the economy of both the town it was situated in and the entire country. Located in , roughly 8.6 miles from the town of Carletonville and approximately 49 miles from , Blyvoor Mine once lay completely abandoned and became an eerily quiet ghost town.
This was because of a host of issues that plagued the mine including safety stoppages, liquidity issues and temporary shutdowns due to industrial action.
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Blyvoor mine lies approximately 49 miles from Johannesburg (Image: Getty)
Blyvoor mine, also known as Blyvooruitzicht gold mine, completely shut in 2013, leaving more than 1,600 workers without a job.
This was after the previous owners had liquidated the mine in 2012, causing it to fall into total despair despite it containing 5.5 million ounces of reserves and 22 million ounces of resources.
Some of the unemployed miners chose to stay in the surrounding mining village despite many of the public buildings being stripped by scavengers, looking for scrap to sell.
Fortunately with the mine’s new owners and a new management team, the mine’s turnaround strategy has shown steady signs of progress.
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Johannesburg’s gold mining industry has always been historically significant to the country (Image: Getty)
Richard Floyd, Blyvoor Gold director, attested the mine’s growing success to a combination of a quality leadership team, a healthy relationship with the Blyvoor community and workforce and strong investors.
Floyd explained: “After years of standing idle, Blyvoor is now a profitable, productive mine with a strong management team, healthy growth and a positive outlook.”
Floyd added that with a large investment of up to £77.2 million into Blyvoor, the mine has slowly begun to return to its former glory state.
“We’ve built a new processing plant, invested in new mining equipment, and refurbished or replaced the surface and underground infrastructure.
“Two production levels have been opened and there are two more in progress.”
Despite the mine’s steady growth, it’s also been plagued by a number of tragedies including the assassination of Wels Sempe, a company director and leader of the Blyvoor Workers’ Union on March 2, 2021, while en route to work.
Recently a fatal rockfall killed one worker and injured 20 others on January 9, 2025.
According to Volcanodiscovery.com, an earthquake that measured 3.2 on the Richter Scale hit the area nearby, causing the tragic rockfall to occur at the mine leading to the subsequent injuries and one death.