- Hans Merensky
Hans Merensky (
16 March 1871 in Botshabelo –21 October 1952 in Westfalia nearDuiwelskloof ) was aSouth Africa ngeologist , prospector,scientist ,conservationist andphilanthropist . He discovered the rich deposit ofalluvial diamond s at Alexander Bay inNamaqualand , vastplatinum and chrome reefs atLydenburg ,Rustenburg andPotgietersrus , which led to some of the largest platinum mines in the world,phosphate s andcopper atPhalaborwa in theTransvaal lowveld ,gold in theFree State and the world’s biggest chrome deposit at Jagdlust nearPietersburg .Life
Hans Merensky was born on
March 16 ,1871 atBerlin Missionary Society station Botshabelo, near Middelburg in Transvaal, where his father, Alexander Merensky (1837-1918), a noted ethnographer and author, was the resident missionary. Keenly interested in minerals and enjoying outdoor living, he studied mining geology after finishing his schooling inGermany . He was awarded adoctorate in mining geology from the University of Charlottenburg inBerlin . He completed his practical training incoal mine s in theSaarland and inSilesia and began work for the Department of Mines in East Prussia. In 1904 he came to South Africa to conduct some geological surveys in the Transvaal. He discoveredtin nearPretoria and reported to thePremier Diamond Mine regarding possible mining prospects. He worked for several mining companies and Friedlaender & Co. sent him toMadagascar to investigate a reported discovery of gold, which turned out to be false. He resigned from his job in Germany and moved toJohannesburg where he became a successful consulting geologist.In 1909 he visited the diamond fields of
South West Africa and controversially predicted that diamonds would be found along the West coast and south of theOrange River . In 1913 Merensky lost his entire fortune due to the Depression, and was interned at a camp nearPietermaritzburg . During these financially difficult years he enjoyed the support of Sir George Albu.In 1924 he followed up the discovery of alluvial platinum by A F Lombard on his farm in Lydenburg [ [http://www.dme.gov.za/pdfs/minerals/D6%202007.pdf "Platinum Group Metal Mines in South Africa 2007. S A Department, Minerals and Economica"] ] and discovered its source in the
Bushveld Igneous Complex which set him on the road to financial recovery. This deposit came eventually to be known as theMerensky Reef , which contains 75 per cent of the world's known platinum resources. [ [http://www.platinummetalsreview.com/dynamic/article/view/pmr-v43-i4-146-148" Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Discovery of the Platiniferous Merensky Reef"] ]In 1926 diamonds were found at Alexander Bay and Merensky received £1,250,000 for his prospector's share. He established the Phosphate Development Corporation Ltd. - FOSKOR - to manage the extraction of phosphates at Phalaborwa.
In his final years he lived unostentatiously on his farm Westfalia near
Duiwelskloof in Transvaal, where, with great hospitality and charm, he received local celebrities and foreign dignitaries.He allotted the larger part of his fortune to the Hans Merensky Trust to ensure that his projects in
agriculture ,horticulture andforestry operations on the Westfalia Estate would be continued after his death. He established the Hans Merensky Library at theUniversity of Pretoria .In 2004,
Martin Enlen directed a German language movie called Platinum based on Hans Merensky’s life. Both overdubbed and subtitled English versions of this movie exist.ources
*Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Vol. 7, Cape Town: Nasionale Opvoedkundige Uitgewery. (1972)
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