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28-548: Emmarentia lies on land that once made up the Braamfontein Farm, one of many large farms that make what is Johannesburg and its suburbs. The land was bought in 1886 by Lourens Geldenhuys for its mining rights as it was hoped that the Confidence Reef would extend into his farm but it did not. Land remained as a farm and by 1891 it was divided, along what is now Orange Road, between his son's Frans and Louw where

56-667: A monument to commemorate the Struben brothers' contribution to the discovery of the gold-bearing conglomerates in the Witwatersrand. This monument, located at the Confidence Reef site, honors their role in the birth of Johannesburg and South Africa's gold industry. Roodepoort Roodepoort ( locally / ˈ r ʊər d ə p ʊər t / ROOR -də-poort ) is a city in the Gauteng province of South Africa . Formerly an independent municipality , Roodepoort became part of

84-669: A stone and earth dam from blocks of stone from the Melville Koppies behind the farm and cost £12,000. The dam was built over the Westdene spruit which is a tributary of the larger Braamfontein Spruit. The dam was then named after his wife Emmarentia Margaretha Botha. A hundred of these workers were then settled in 14 irrigated smallholdings on 145 morgens of the farm in what are now the suburbs of Emmarentia, Linden and Greenside where they grew fruits and vegetables with rent based on

112-468: A third of the profits of the sale of the produce. Louw died in 1929 and his wife Emmarentia would begin to sell parts of the farm that became the suburbs Greenside in 1931, and Emmarentia on 28 April 1937, named after her and in 1941, Emmarentia Extension. In 1933, 13 hectares of the farm were donated to the City of Johannesburg for parks and recreation, and after further pieces of land were acquired, became

140-491: Is also home to a range of culturally diverse restaurants ranging from Italian (Trattoria Renato) to Cape-Malay (District 6 ). In the same center of Emmarentia (A block of buildings ranging from 1-4 stories high, alongside Barry Herztorg, with restaurants and business's on street level and residential flats above. Known to locals as the "shops") J'oburgs first artisanal bakery and gourmet burger-milkshake restaurant (Industry) and an organic vegetarian restaurant ( Fresh Earth) make up

168-559: Is notable as the first site of a payable gold discovery on the Witwatersrand, an event that contributed to the establishment of Johannesburg , the "City of Gold.'' The discovery spurred the development of other major gold mines, including the Main Reef in 1886, one of the richest gold-bearing areas in history. This find also led to the creation of the Witwatersrand Gold Mining Company, along with others like

196-658: Is the Kloofendal Nature Reserve , a 128ha park with trails, amphitheatre, dam and small wild mammals . Further to the south is Florida Lake with its bird life and related aquatic activities. Although Roodepoort has traditionally been regarded as being part of the West Rand , it was not made part of the West Rand District Municipality , instead being integrated into the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality , following

224-670: Is the CMR Golf Club. Roodepoort Athletics Stadium is also found within the city. It has three mega private gym facilities owned by Virgin Active and Planet Fitness. The Roodepoort area has numerous parks and green areas. Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden , formerly known as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden, is a 300 hectares (3.0 km ) botanical reserve with grass parks, natural cliff face and waterfall. Another large greenspace

252-612: The Johannesburg municipality in the late 1990s, along with Randburg and Sandton . Johannesburg's most famous botanical garden , Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens (now renamed Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden ), is located in Roodepoort. In 1884, brothers Fred and Harry Struben , having discovered gold on the farm Wilgespruit at the western end of the Witwatersrand , were granted concessions to mine

280-471: The smallholding farmers Louw Geldenhuys had helped out. The suburbs captures the names of the original owners of the farm as street names, Judith Road is named after Frans Geldenhuys' wife, Judith Grobbelaar. While Louw Geldenhuys Road runs past the dam he built. Within its boundaries, one can find: Emmarentia shares its borders with the suburbs of Melville , Greenside , Greenside East, Victory Park, Linden , Montgomery Park, and Roosevelt Park. Emmarentia

308-765: The Confidence Reef Mine was proclaimed a national monument in 1980. This designation showed the importance of the early gold mining efforts that contributed to the later development of the Witwatersrand Gold Rush . The Confidence Reef is located within the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Roodepoort , South Africa , making it accessible for educational visits and a reminder of the country's rich mining heritage. In 1936, George Brown erected

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336-672: The Jan van Riebeeck Park (1952) and the Johannesburg Botanical Garden (1964), Emmarentia Dam (1939), the Marks Park Sports Club (1951) and West Park Cemetery (1942). In 1938, Emmarentia Geldenhuys died and was buried at the family cemetery in Hill Road. The small cemetery still exists with 77 graves in the small cemetery with other names such as Swanepoel, Steyn, Ayres, Hopley and McGrath possibly

364-455: The Jubilee and Langlaagte mines. The techniques and infrastructure introduced during this early phase, such as stamp mills for ore processing, formed the foundation for modern mining practices and facilitated Johannesburg's rise as a major global player in the gold industry. The Confidence Reef is part of the larger Witwatersrand Basin , which is renowned as one of the richest goldfields in

392-478: The Roodepoort Municipality in 1904. Incorporating the towns of Hamburg, Florida and Maraisburg, Roodepoort became a city in 1977, and has since developed as one of Johannesburg's most predominantly Afrikaans (language of Dutch origin) speaking districts. Roodepoort has seen large population growth due to Johannesburg urban sprawl . There are two major malls in the area - Clearwater Mall,

420-399: The also make up the craft restaurants This sailing club is located on Emmarentia Dam and was started in 1979. The name is derived from a Zulu warrior called Dabulamanzi kaMpande, whose name translates to "the one who conquers water". Emmarentia Primary School is located in the suburb of Emmarentia on the corner of Hill Road and Umgeni, and was established over 60 years ago . Emmarentia is

448-499: The area. When George Harrison's find at Langlaagte came to light and gold fever took hold, the Struben brothers were joined by a swarm of gold diggers. Other areas such as Maraisburg were prospected and mined by A.P. Marais and at Florida , the owners were van der Hoven, Bantjies and Lys. Though the Struben brothers' Confidence Reef bore little gold and their mine was unprofitable, the ramshackle town that grew around it became

476-540: The brothers had already built two farm houses. Frans' farmhouse still exists as the clubhouse at the Marks Park Sports Club and Louw's which exists close by at 14 Greenhill Road. After the Second Boer War , in which Louw Geldenhuys and his brother had taken part of as members of the Krugersdorp Commando, he decided to help some landless and unemployed Boers war veterans. He used them to construct

504-504: The distribution of gold, remobilizing the mineral within the basin's sedimentary layers. Further geological processes, such as the intrusion of the Bushveld Igneous Complex , introduced heat that facilitated additional gold mobilization. The Struben brothers were engaged in active mining operations at Confidence Reef until 1888, extracting gold from a quartz vein that they had discovered. Following their departure,

532-630: The gold settled into the basin's conglomerate layers, which were formed by fluvial processes during the Mesoarchaean era The hydrothermal theory suggests that gold was introduced or remobilized in the Witwatersrand Basin by hot, mineral-rich fluids that permeated the basin after the sediments had been deposited. Several tectonic events, including faulting and folding , shaped the Witwatersrand Basin . The Vredefort impact , one of Earth's largest meteorite impacts, also altered

560-549: The gold within the Witwatersrand Basin is thought to be a combination of placer deposition and hydrothermal processes . Gold deposits are concentrated at the base of fluvial cycles within the Central Rand Group, with ancient microbial activity playing a role in the fixation of organic materials and enhancing gold concentration. This Gold is found in ancient sedimentary rocks , primarily in conglomerates . The unique gold mineralization processes in this basin have been

588-658: The location of the Japanese School of Johannesburg located in Caledon Road close to the dam. Littlehill Montessorri School is also located in Emmarentia, on Hofmeyer Drive. The school is renowned for its unique curriculum, which includes Cultural Studies . Confidence Reef Confidence Reef is a historical gold-bearing quartz vein situated within the Kloofendal Nature Reserve , in close proximity to Roodepoort , South Africa . The Confidence Reef

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616-692: The most upscale in Roodepoort, and Westgate Mall, the largest and oldest. Also found in the area is the Hillfox Centre and the Strubens Valley strip malls, which are both large retail centres. The CBD of the city has shifted from its historical center to a location adjacent to the N1 highway & 14th Avenue interchange in Constantia Kloof . Regional headquarters of banks, a large hospital, various office parks and two hotels are found in

644-571: The new CBD. Roodepoort still has a large industrial sector along the Main Reef Road ( R41 ) to Randfontein . A number of logistical firms work from the area as well as other light industry. The city has a large golf course called Ruimsig Country Club in the suburb Ruimsig. Another smaller golf course is the Jackel Creek Golf Estate. In between the two, there is a links golf course Eagle Canyon. Further south in Roodepoort

672-498: The post- apartheid re-organisation of local government in the late 1990s. Roodepoort is home to several private and state schools, including Ruimsig Montessori International School, Crawford International, Trinity House, Charter College, Allen Glen High School, West Ridge High School, Horizon View Primary, Ridgevale Primary School, Hoërskool Roodepoort, Hoërskool Die Adelaar, Princess High School, The Kings School West Rand and Ruimsig Academy. In 2001, Monash University Australia opened

700-559: The site retained its importance within South Africa's mining history. In 1935, Fred Struben's wife, Mabel, sold the area to George Brown , who proceeded to continue mining operations on the site. With the passage of time, the importance of the Confidence Reef grew, not only in terms of its role in mining activities but also in relation to its status as a site of South African heritage. In recognition of its historical value,

728-546: The subject of much debate, with two primary theories dominating the discussion: the placer theory and the hydrothermal theory . Both of these processes are thought to have contributed to the important gold concentration in the area. The placer theory suggests that gold originated from ancient greenstone belts surrounding the Witwatersrand Basin. Rivers carried gold-rich sediments from these areas, depositing them in alluvial fans and river channels . Over time,

756-474: The world. The basin is made up of complex sedimentary rock formations deposited around 2.9 to 2.7 Ga in the Mesoarchaean era . The Witwatersrand Basin's sedimentary layers consist of conglomerates , quartzites , and shales that were deposited in a shallow marine environment. These rock sequences, which can exceed 7,000 m in thickness, contain gold-bearing conglomerates formed through mechanical reworking of sediments and microbial fixation. The origin of

784-414: Was discovered by Fred Pine Theophilus Struben and his brother, Harry Struben , on September 18, 1884, on the farm Wilgespruit in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. This discovery was pivotal in sparking a gold rush to the Witwatersrand region, which eventually led to the discovery of the Main Reef in 1886. The Struben brothers were the first to extract payable gold from the Witwatersrand. The Confidence Reef

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