THE OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF 



MANGANESE IN THE WESTERN DISTRICTS 



OF THE CAPE PROVINCE. 



By W. Versfeld. B.A,, B.Sc. 



Paper read before the Cape Client ieal Soeiefy o)i the 

 2jth Aug list, 191 1.) 



Alanv attempts have been made to work successfully the 

 various deposits of Manganese Ore that have, from time to time, 

 heen discovered in the Western Districts of the Cape Province. 

 Few peoj^le have any idea of their wdde distribution. They 

 may ])e looked for anywhere between Worcester and Cape 

 Point, wherever Table Mountain Sandstone is met with. Up 

 to now all the important deposits have been found in Table 

 ^Mountain Sandstone. At a few localities I have noticed small 

 quantities in the granite and clay-slate underlying the sand- 

 stone. These are referred to later. 



The earliest known occurrence of manganese in the Western 

 Province is at a locality which is described on fairly old maps 

 as " ]\langanese Mine," and is situated on the top of the Draken- 

 stein Mountains some distance to the south-east of the town 

 of Wellington. The mine is near the point where the Molenaars 

 River changes its direction, at its junction with the Du Toit's 

 Kloof Stream. This mine appears to have been worked at some 

 time or other, as it has been opened up to a considerable extent, 

 and there are still the remains of an aerial gear to be seen. A 

 quantity of apparently excellent ore, ready for removal, is still 

 lying at the mine. A drive had been made in the hillside, by 

 means of which the ore could conveniently be brought to the 

 surface, tliough why, under the conditions of the occurrence of 

 the ore, it was not driven on the body of the lode ( which admits 

 of this ) is a mystery. 



Recently another attempt was made to work this deposit in 

 connection with wliich the writer was employed to make a sur- 

 vey for the purpose "of obtaining a mining lease from the 

 (iovernmcTit, the mine being on Crown land. The syndicate 

 obtained the lease (jf a large extent of ground, with the intention 

 of disposing of their rights at the first opportunity, but owing, 

 no doubt, to the inaccessibility of the mine, negotiations fell 

 through, and it is presumed that the lease has now expired. 

 This de]:)Osit appears to be as big as any that I have seen, and 

 the contour of the surface admits of easy working, but the dis- 

 tance frnm the railway is a great disadvantage. The ore must 

 be transported first i\\) the Du Toit's Kloof valley and then down 

 the mountain-side to Wellington or Paarl. If the proposed 

 railway from Wellington to Goudini via Du Toit's Kloof is built. 



