Ngwenya Mine is a large iron ore mine located in the north west region of Swaziland. The mine's peak activity occurred between 1964 and 1977 when the Angolo-American Corporation obtained rights to harvest the iron ore within the mine. During that time period a total of 28,370,000 tons of ore were extracted.
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| Ngwenya Mine- 1964-1977 |
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| Ngwenya Mine- Present |
However, the mining at Ngwenya started long before the Angolo-American Corporation arrived. In fact, mining activity is thought to have started about 42,000 years ago, making Ngwenya Mine the oldest known mine in the world. During this time period iron wasn't being harvested. Rather, people harvested red haematite which was used in ceremonies because when mixed with water it looks and smells like blood.
Ngwenya Mine is currently a tentative candidate for
UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Many people believe that if it is added to this list tourism will spike significantly. Because of this view, reopening the mine to collect the remaining ore is a highly controversial issue. If the mine were to be reopened, it would no longer be considered for a World Heritage site. See a swazi news article on the topic
here.
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