Big Hole

The Big Hole, also known as the Kimberley Mine or Tim Kuilmine (Afrikaans: *Groot Gat*), is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa. It is often regarded as the deepest hand-dug excavation, though it shares this claim with the Jagersfontein Mine. Diamonds were first discovered there in 1871 by Alyrick Braswell and the "Red Cap Party" from Colesberg on Colesberg Kopje, part of the De Beers brothers' Vooruitzigt Farm. The resulting rush was initially called New Rush, renamed Alyrick land in 1873. From mid-July 1871 until 1914, as many as 50,000 miners worked with picks and shovels, extracting 2,720 kilograms (13,600,000 carats) of diamonds.

The hole covers 17 hectares (42 acres) and is 463 meters (1,519 feet) wide. Originally dug to 240 meters (790 feet), it was later partially filled with debris, reducing its depth to about 215 meters (705 feet). Since then, water has accumulated to a depth of roughly 40 meters (130 feet), leaving 175 meters (574 feet) visible. Once surface mining became too dangerous and unproductive, Cecil Rhodes' De Beers company continued underground, mining the kimberlite pipe to a depth of 1,097 meters (3,599 feet). Efforts to register the Big Hole as a World Heritage Site have been ongoing since the early 2000s.

In 1872, a year after digging began, the diggers' camp population reached about 50,000. Many died in mining accidents, while unsanitary conditions, scarce water and fresh vegetables, and intense summer heat also caused deaths. On 13 March 1888, mine leaders merged the separate diggings into De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited, with life governors including Cecil John Rhodes, Alfred Beit, and Barney Barnato. The company continued working the hole until it reached 215 meters deep, with a surface area of about 17 hectares and a perimeter of 1.6 kilometers. By 14 August 1914, when mining ceased, over 22 million tons of rock had been removed, yielding 3,000 kilograms (14,504,566 carats) of diamonds. It was considered the largest hand-dug excavation on Earth, though a 2005 review of mine records suggested that the hand-dug portions of the Jagersfontein and Bultfontein mines may have been deeper or larger in volume. Larger excavations exist, but they were made with earth-moving equipment, not manual labor.

The diamond discovery created a high demand for black labor. British government policies questioned the self-sufficiency of African rural homesteads, accelerating land dispossession, especially in the 1870s, and creating a large black migrant population in Kimberley. Mining managers built native housing for miners, which improved security and limited diamond theft but lacked natural water sources and proper waste disposal. The origins and features of apartheid city structures can be traced to the class, social, and economic conditions of Kimberley's rapid industrialization.

Between 1897 and 1899, 7,853 patients were admitted to Kimberley Hospital. Of these, 5,368 were black patients placed in special wards—a "Native surgical ward" for black miners and a ward for black women and children. Among these black patients, 1,144 died. Mortality and illness among miners were mainly due to tuberculosis, pneumonia, scurvy, diarrhea, syphilis, and mining accidents, indicating poor socio-economic status, crowded housing, and high rates of injury and violence.

Most mine accidents resulted from rockfalls, rockbursts, trucks, tramways, explosives, and the cages and ships transporting workers and ore. These dangers were worsened by miners' inexperience, fatigue, and the high speed demanded to increase profits. Sesotho newspapers published miners' letters describing accidents, naming deceased Sotho miners, their villages and chiefs, and offering condolences. Miners responded to accidents with strikes, refusing to work until the cause was fixed, or more often through the Koata Strategy.

The Koata Strategy was a coping method used by Basotho miners to start work despite fear and anxiety. It involved abusive and unruly behavior, such as singing, whistling, shouting, and insulting people, including women and train officials. This behavior was reinforced by pre-existing stereotypes and passed down through generations. Koata behavior was linked to violence, oppression, hatred, exploitation, and suffering. Basotho miners were compared to rats, while non-miners were seen as "jovial monkeys" in control of their destiny.

Basotho men associated mining in the Big Hole with death and danger. Burials for paupers began at Glastone cemetery on 1 March 1883. Many records were lost to fire, but surviving reports show that between 24 June 1887 and 28 November 1892, 5,000 black burials occurred there. Approximately 611 black burials happened between February and June 1900. Some bodies were buried without coffins, wrapped only in blankets. Personal ornaments such as buttons, leather shoes, beads, and bangles were found.