Barberton is a town in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, which has its origin in the 1880s gold rush in the region. It is situated in the De Kaap Valley and is fringed by the Makhonjwa Mountains. It is 43 kilometers (27 mi) south of Mbombela and 360 kilometres (220 mi) east of Johannesburg.
Barberton is a geological mecca, luring international geologists and biologists to probe the earth’s beginnings and some of its earliest life forms. It also has a colourful gold-rush history, creative young artisans fashioning jewellery from the oldest gold in the world, and plenty of exhilarating outdoor activities.
Perhaps you’ve never heard of Barberton’s Makhonjwa mountains, but international scientists have been studying them for decades.
It is here, in the beautifully preserved ancient rocks, that some of the earth’s earliest life forms began. Find out more about the geology and biology of the region, as well as the history of the local gold rush, at the attractive Barberton museum.
The historical town of Barberton, named for the Barber family who found gold here in the 1880s, was home to many colorful characters, such as the infamous Cockney Liz, barmaid and prostitute, who walked the streets where South Africa’s first gold stock exchange was established.
Barberton was the seat of the Umjindi Local Municipality until the day of the 2016 Municipal Elections, when the Umjindi Local Municipality was merged into the Mbombela Local Municipality.
The mountains around Barberton are amongst the oldest in the world, dating back 3.5 billion years, and these mountains include some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet.
These volcanic rocks, which scientists call the Barberton Greenstone Belt, have given direct evidence of the conditions of life on the surface of the very early Earth.
In the satellite image, the bare rocks of mountain peaks appear as a pale gray-green, accentuated by the sharp relief of sunlit slopes and their shadows. Deeper shades of green indicate vegetation, including some vegetation on the lower slopes.
In the mountain valleys, bright green areas suggest well-watered grassy areas and crops. Deeper green areas are probably forests.
The series of bright green circles north of the town of Barberton result from center-pivot irrigation systems. The area north and west of Barberton appears slightly pale and fuzzy compared to the rest of this image, probably the result of low-lying haze.
The first form of life on earth, a bacterial micro-fossil Archaeosphaeroides barbertonensis was discovered here in 1967 and has been identified as being 3.26 billion years old.
Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site
South Africa’s tenth and newest World Heritage property was inscribed by UNESCO on 2 July 2018. It is only the fourth natural property in the country, since the others are cultural and mixed properties.
The new World Heritage Site, covers an area of 113 137 ha, located in the south-eastern corner of Mpumalanga province in South Africa. It contains the oldest and best preserved sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks on earth, comprising a unique record of the early formation of the planet and a host of endemic and exceptionally rich diversity of plant species, all set in spectacular scenery.
The 3 250 million to 3 600 million year-old rocks, in unsurpassed state of preservation, contain the best sequence of the earth’s oldest geological record.
These highly accessible Archaean exposures present a continuous 350 million year sequence of rocks. Scientific research from these rocks have provided the earliest records of how the earth’s crust was formed.
It is redefining the date for the first occurrence of life on earth, by an astonishing one billion years earlier than previously estimated. Here evidence has been found of the first massive meteorite impacts possibly related to the formation of our moon.
Tidal traces, billions of years old, are so precisely recorded they allow for calculation of changes in the distance between the earth and the moon over time.
The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains is the only place on earth where the development of the early earth and evolution of life itself can be studied. This is truly the place where life began.
This area is of “… natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. As such, the permanent protection of this heritage is of the highest importance to the international community as a whole.” (Section 49 of the UNESCO World Heritage Council Guidelines).
Mountainlands Nature Reserve, together with Songimvelo, Nkomazi, Queens River and Barberton Private Nature reserves sit at the core of the World Heritage Site. Also included are the timber growing properties that lie between these protected areas and two enclaves of private and communal land towards Badplaas.
In 1881 gold in the Barberton area was discovered by Tom McLachlan who found alluvial gold at Jamestown. However, due to the location (the hot lowveld region was rife with malaria) no one wanted to go there until Auguste Roberts (‘French Bob’) discovered gold in Concession Creek on 20 June 1883. This discovery resulted in a gold rush to the area.
On 21 June 1884, Graham Barber wrote a letter to the State Secretary to inform him that he and his two cousins Fred and Harry discovered payable gold on state land where the Umvoti Creek entered the De Kaap valley.
The State Secretary then asked the Magistrate in Lydenburg to investigate the matter and for David Wilson, the Gold Commissioner, to submit a report. Wilson investigated on 24 July 1884 and declared the township of Barberton.
The town was named after Graham Hoare Barber (1835-1888) who discovered a rich gold-bearing reef there in 1884. Barberton became a municipality in 1904.
At first it was just a simple mining camp but grew when Edwin Bray, a prospector discovered gold in the hills above Barberton in 1885 and with 14 partners started the Sheba Reef Gold Mining Company.
More information regarding all the mines in the area
Large amounts of money flowed into Barberton and the first Stock Exchange to operate in the then Transvaal opened its doors. More buildings were erected, billiard saloons and music halls established.
H W Peacock was a member of the Diggers’ Committee. He discovered the famous Peacock gold nugget on 4 July 1912 at Coetzeestroom29, 1 km west of KaapscheHoop. It weighed 179,8 ounces (5,10 kg). It was purchased by Messrs Isidore Blankfield, Stewart Elington and G G Duncan (the B.E.D Syndicate) from the National Bank for £800. A model of this nugget was exhibited in Johannesburg in a glass case, while the original was disguised as a door stop in the home of G G Duncan, wrapped in green baize. Sufficient money was raised to take Blankfield to London where no one was interested in exhibiting the original nugget. It was then sold to the Bank of England and the syndicate lost £25 each on it. A model is in the British museum in London.
Acknowledgement Barberton Museum
The Criterion and Royal Standard hotels were opened. In 1896, Barberton was connected by rail to the Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM)’s Oosterlijn (Pretoria to Lourenço Marques) through a specifically constructed side line running from Kaapmuiden to Barberton. (This railway line is not operational at this moment)
Barberton flourished for only a brief period and soon the inhabitants began to move away to the newly discovered gold fields on the Reef.
Among the owners of mines in the Barberton area are Pan African Resources.
On 5 February 2016, 87 miners were rescued after a cave-in at the main entrance of Makonjwaan Gold Mine, operated by Australian-based Vantage Goldfields. Three people were still missing Songimvelo Game Reserve is situated in the Barberton Mountain lands and is the Mpumalanga Parks Board’s largest reserve, extending over 500 square kilometers. Sheba mine is today one of the oldest and richest working gold mines in the world, having been in production for more than a century. It is estimated that production will continue for several decades to come. Pat Pattle, regarded by many as possibly the top-scoring Allied fighter ace of World War II, worked at the Sheba mine briefly. Barberton was home to Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, author of Jock of the Bushveld. A popular flowering plant, the Barberton daisy (Gerbera Jamesonii) was discovered here in 1889 by Robert Jameson.
Barberton (or, at least, a depiction of Barberton) is featured in Bryce Courtenay’s novel The Power of One, as the main character’s hometown. A character in the Sherlock Holmes adventure “The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax” made his fortune in Barberton.
By 1931, the Barberton municipality had assumed a coat of arms. It was registered with the Transvaal Provincial Administration and the Bureau of Heraldry in 1969. The municipality’s legal successor, the Umjindi local municipality, now bears the arms. In 2016 the Umjindi local municipality was disestablished, Barberton is now under Mbombela Local Municipality. The arms are: Per fess Or, and Vert, in chief a stamp battery Or, and in base three Barberton daisies in fess slipped and leaved proper (i.e. the shield is divided by a horizontal line, the upper half shows a golden stamp battery on a green background and the lower half shows three Barberton daisies on a golden background). The crest is an impala’s head, and the motto is Consilio et labore.
Welcome to the some of the finest sceneries of Africa. Barberton is surrounded by magnificent mountain views, amazing biodiversity and climate. Geology tells us that the earliest history of Earth itself is fossilized in our mountains and unique greenstone belt.
Our history is important to us. Join us on a heritage walk featuring an array of memorial building statues, monuments and museums that date back as far as 1884. Barberton has some of the oldest rocks in the world dating back to 3.5 billion years.
The established Geo-Trail is a comfortable way to explore the secrets of the region. This includes rock formations to the wide variety of fauna and flora. This is for sure one of the hidden gems of Southern Africa. Barberton was established in 1884 when Fred and Henry Barber together with cousin Graham discovered gold here. On the 24th of July 1884 the then Gold Commissioner, David Wilson, christened the reef with a bottle of gin. Prospectors and fortune seekers flocked to Barberton and our town flourished for a brief period until gold was discovered in Gauteng. Still today only a few bigger mines still operate around Barberton.
Mr. Otto Elkan donated a collection of fossils, rock formation like quartz and other mineral specimens and in 1898 our museum was established. All these items are now displayed in the Carnegie Library. From those humble beginnings the museum, now consists of a main museum where the whole history from mining, geology and general history of Barberton are displayed, as well as history of the Swazi tribe. Visit our historical homes Belhaven, Stopforth, Fernlea and Block House museum homes.
In the beginning, “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep” (Gen.1 v.2). Even natural scientists would agree – but they would be keen to add that there was more to it and point to the mountains behind Barberton! After Earth had formed about 4,540 million years ago from collisions of innumerable small rocky bodies, the embryonic Earth was a initially a hot and inhospitable place but it may have cooled quickly.
From the first 500 Million years of its history, the Hadean, we have no record left, only a few tiny minerals. The Archaean Eon followed the Hadean; this is where rocks of the Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains come into the picture.
The mountains are made by geological strata world-famous for their staggering age of about 3,200 to more than 3,500 Million years. That makes them, together with similar rocks in Northwest Australia, the oldest well-preserved rocks on Earth.
Even the strata in the Barberton mountains are all crumpled at km-scale and displaced against each other by geological faults, scientists congregate here yearly to pain stakenly take the rocks apart and to study them.
These rocks are scattered over an area of about 160 by 40km. The mountains harbor information climate, volcanism, meteorite impacts, oceans and the physical environment of the first microscopic life forms successfully established themselves.
The Mountain land and Geo-Trail are situated on the R40 road towards the Swaziland border. Well-Designed information tablets are situated on this route. The Barberton Greenstone Belt is built on three major rock units:
The Onverwacht Group is about 3.570 to 3.300 million years old consisting mostly of dark green and black former lava flows stacked on top of each other many kilometers thick, some of the hottest lava ever to have flowed on the face of the planet/earth.
Some of them show ‘spinifex texture’, named after the needle-like Australian grass and caused by needle-like crystals of olivine and pyroxene which formed when the lava come in contact with water. Yet between the lava flows exists seams and beds of black formed deep-sea sediments which contain microscopic remnants of life that must have been floated in the ocean even back then.
The Greenstone Belt | The Fig Tree Group is about 3250 to 3225 million years old and consists mainly of shale’s, sandstone and volcanic but also chemical sediments barite, banded-iron formation and chert. Some of them were mined in smaller surface operations. Some of these sediments were made from molecules in ocean water.
General geology of the Barberton Greenstone Belt. Supracrustal strata are enclosed between at least four generations of plutonic rocks and deformed in in tightly folded, NE-SW striking syn-and anticlines. The black box marks the study area. Compiled after ANHAEUSSER (1981), HEUBECK & LOWE (1994a), DE RONDE & DE WIT (1994) and KAMO & DAVIS (1994) The Barberton Greenstone Belt is situated on the eastern edge of the Kaapvaal Craton in South Africa. It is known for its gold mineralization and for its komatiites, an unusual type of ultramafic volcanic rock named after the Komati River that flows through the belt
The Fig Tree Group is famous for the information and it provides about composition and temperature of the earliest oceans. Rock units also contains, in places, strata formed by larger meteorite impacts. Banded-iron formation, probably a deposit originally made of bacteria.
Sediments of The Moodies Group were deposited within only a few million years, much quickly than the other strata and are dated 3.220 million years old. The strata consist mainly of sandstones which are rich in quartz grains and which were laid down along ancient coast plains and shorelines.
Some contain abundant fossil microbial mats. These rocks are more resistant to erosion and form prominent mountains, such as Saddleback Hill and Maids-of-the-Mists. In contrast, nearby rocks of the Onverwacht Group contain much softer minerals and often define the valleys. Microbial mats in the Moodies Group: Some of the oldest visible traces of life on earth. As we look out into the universe and ask whether there is life.
We do well to consider the information from the Barberton rocks. This is because they record where and how primitive life successfully established itself on a planet. To our knowledge, this happened just once in the universe – on our very own planet. By studying the conditions under which this occurred, documented in the Barberton Rocks, we can reason whether this was common or rare. The Makhonjwa Mountains or Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains are a range of small mountains and hills that covers an area of 120 by 60 kilometers’, about 80% in Mpumalanga, a province of South Africa, and the remainder in neighboring Eswatini. It constitutes 40% of the Barberton Greenstone Belt.
The diversity of living things that occur in Barberton area today form a stark contrast to the ancient, single-celled organisms that are captured in the rocks here. It took more than 3 billion years before multi-cellular life evolved and only about 425 million years ago vegetation colonized land followed by the first land animals, since then mother Earth grow with a variety of species arising and disappearing over time.
According to science, humans are late comers to this planet with anatomically modern man appearing a mere 100 000 years ago.
Contrast to the ancient, single-celled organisms that are captured in the rocks here. It took more than 3 billion years before multi-cellular life evolved and only about 425 million years ago vegetation colonized land followed by the first land animals. And since then Mother Earth went full throttle with a variety of species arising and disappearing over time.
According to science, humans are late comers to the planet with anatomically modern man appearing a mere 100 000 years ago. These days Barberton area is teeming with life. Farmers breed cattle, horse, goats, chickens and even wildlife ranches.
Most of the wild animals occur in several nature reserves and conservancies that protect the main repositories of fauna and flora in the mountainous terrain. This includes Swaziland’s Malolotja Nature Reserve through to Songimvelo Nature Reserve ( https://www.mpumalanga.com/our-provincial-parks/songimvelo-nature-reserve-and-kromdraai-camp) and Nkomazi Wilderness in the Badplaas area; to Mountain lands to the East of Barberton and the Barberton Nature Reserves to the north.
Several of the reserves have day visitor facilities: Like Songimvelo and Barberton Nature Reserve. Animals have been reintroduced over time in the area. This includes larger game like kudu, eland, impala, zebra, waterbuck, wildebeest, hartebeest, leopard and warthogs, to name a few. Vervet monkeys raid fruit trees and we have a spectacular variety of birds.
The spectacular seclusion offered by the mountains together with various microhabitats and endemic plants offer the opportunity for insect species to also be geographical restricted.
Three butterflies are endemic to the mountains North East of town and as entomologists continue their search. Here are uncounted numbers of other insects, reptiles and amphibians and the high lying mountains streams are nurseries for fresh water fingerlings and unique species of indigenous fish.
The Counting task for our local bird lovers is an ongoing. Some places are renowned for spotting specific species and rare winged visitors spawn a flurry of excitement among enthusiasts. Currently the number of bird species range from over 300 different species.
Flora
The mountains around Barberton are renowned for its ancient and unique geology and rugged terrain, this is a botanical wonderland. You will be amazed to find so many varieties of flora in the lowland savannah to the hidden forests to the northern grasslands on the high-lying areas.
These mountains offer a showcase of flora as well as many interesting herbal plants can be found on the grasslands. (Bauhinia galpinii | Berkheyas) In the summer these we have the variety of grass species on the grassland area and then in winter the Aloe arborescens and Aloe marlothi flowers against the backdrop of grasses glistening gold.
Proteas, of which Protea caffra is most common can be seen on the hillsides and in the mistbelt forests. The Barberton Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) Native to South Africa this species is a perennial in warmer climates but in cooler countries (temperate regions) it’s grown as an annual and flowering pot plant.
There are many varieties and hybrids sold that are more compact in growth than the basic type. The basic type has stalks which grow up to 2ft tall that can become quite lanky and unattractive.
The attractive bright colored flower has made Gebera daisies an excellent bridal bouquet choice. For those that prefer to have them closer to their skin – they are also a popular floral tattoo choice.
The Barberton daisy is available in many colors from white through to bright red and different shades as well. The hybrids sold in garden centers produce two or more single stemmed stalks with a single flower sitting at the top. The capitula (flower head) is approximately 3 – 4 inches wide and displays multiple soft petals from a centerpiece of stamens, anthers, and carpels that look outstanding close up.
Grown indoors they can flower at any time of the year and each flower lasts up to about 4 – 6 weeks. Growers deadhead flowers that are spent to encourage new flowers. Once all flowers have died down you are likely to throw your Gerbera away or place it inside the greenhouse for it’s leaves and in the hope the following year it might produce blooms (not likely though).
The world’s tallest tree aloe, Aloidendron barberae is a striking sculptural tree aloe bearing a rounded, neat crown. It was previously known as Aloe barberae. It forms an excellent focal point in the garden.
It is easily distinguished by its grey, smooth bark, green recurved leaves and salmon pink flowers in winter. It thrives in cultivation and is easily propagated. Due to its massive stem base, it should preferably not be planted close to any buildings.
Naturalists and botanists have been identifying plants in Barberton since the early 1880’s and research is continuing to this day. Famous plant collectors were George Thorncroft and Ernet Galpin.
The genus Thorncroftia honours Thorncroft and many species such as the endemics Thorncroftia longifolia and Aloe thorncroftii have been named after him. Galpin’s name is captured in names such as Bauhinia galpinii and Streptocarpus galpinii.
Several plants are endemic – meaning that they are found nowhere else in the world and this include small trees, shrubs and herbs.
Soils associated with high concentrations of heavy metals, which are generally toxic to most plants, have seen at least 30 endemics adapt and colonize these as the unfavorable soil conditions lessened the competition from other plants.
Nowadays many of the plants are protected in several conservation areas that stretch from Badplaas to Kaapmuiden.
Name engraved on the Boer War Concentration Camp Monument stone situated in the Barberton Cemetery. The British built a concentration camp here during the Boer War to house Boer women and children. Respectful Tribute To The Memory Of Those Who Gave Their Lives In The Concentration Camp At Barberton For The Republic 1889-1902 Children 15 Years and Under
| Badenhorst A | Coetzee AM | Durand JJ | Kriel DC | Schoeman AS | Smit H | Venter AM |
| Badenhorst BJ | Coetzee DJG | Esterhuizen AS | Kriel EJ | Schoeman HM | Smit HSB | Venter DJS |
| Badenhorst DJP | Coetzee GP | Faure MJ | Kriel GJ | Schoeman MH | Smit JE | Venter HMJ |
| Badenhorst FE | Coetzee H | Faure MM | Kriel G | Schoeman PW | Smit JM | Venter MJ |
| Basch AOAB | Coetzee JH | Ferreira JD | Kriel M | Schoeman SJ | Snyman Baby | Vermaak CJ |
| Basch NGC | Coetzee JLP | Fourie C | Kruger CG | Schoeman SM | Snyman AS | Vermaak CMP |
| Beetge HC | Coetzee S | Fourie DT | Kruger CJ | Schultz JS | Snyman MJ | Vermaak MJ |
| Beetge HS | Coetzer AD | Fourie FJN | Kruger OT | Smit AA | Snyman NM | Vermaak MM |
| Beetge JA | Coetzer CE | Fourie HJ | Lourens F | Smit CH | Soekoe HJ | Vermaak NJ |
| Beetge MM | Coetzer CJ | Griffin WJ | Lourens GD | Smit H | Steenberg CA | Versveldt CMH |
| Beetjes JM | Coetzer EH | Grobler Baby | Mathee AS | Smit HSB | Steenberg CM | Viljoen AM |
| Bezuidenhout FPL | Coetzer JE | Grobler AM | Meyer AO | Nel JMS | Steenberg HF | Viljoen JJ |
| Bezuidenhout GA | Coetzer JP | Grobler SW | Meyer CH | Nel MJPE | Steenberg MJ | Viljoen K |
| Bezuidenhout HJM | Coetzer MA | Hart HB | Meyer HM | Nortje GS | Steenkamp I | |
| Bezuidenhout J | Combrink ACM | Hart MJ | Meyer SW | Nortje J | Stevens Baby | |
| Bezuidenhout JF | Combrink HC | Hefer LJ | Minnaar KP | Nortje M | Steyn JP | |
| Blignaut JH | Combrink MA | Hendricks JN | Muller MME | Olivier AM | Stoltz AH | |
| Blignaut S | Combrink PC | Henrico MMG | Nel AJC | Orton AM | Stoltz MP | |
| Botha AJ | Cornelissen AJ | Harmse H | Nel AM | Orton JC | Stoop JPJ | |
| Botha J | Cornelissen CE | Howel BL | Nel GM | Pretorius AD | Stoop LM | |
| Botha JH | Craig DM | Jankowitz JM | Nel JMS | Prinsloo HF | Swart AE | |
| Botha JC | Craig J | Jankowitz JWM | Nel MJPE | Reyneke Baby | Symington JJP | |
| Botha PJ | Craig ME | Jordaan CH | Nortje GS | Schmidt MJ | Van der Linde AE | |
| Botha WJ | Crouse BABA | Joubert JF | Nortje J | Schoeman AS | Van der Linde JA | |
| Botha WS | De Beer HJ | Joubert MS | Nortje M | Schoeman HM | Van der Walt WP | |
| Bronkhorst DJP | De Beer JM | Joubert RA | Olivier AM | Schoeman MH | Van Niekerk Baby | |
| Bronkhorst A | De Jager GI | Joubert T | Orton AM | Schoeman PW | Van Niekerk MJ | |
| Brown J | Diedericks LM | Joubert WAJ | Orton JC | Schoeman SJ | Van Niekerk MJ | |
| Buitendag HJ | Du Plessis GA | Kilian JG | Pretorius AD | Schoeman SM | Van Rensburg Baby | |
| Buitendag LF | Du Plessis JS | Kleis Baby | Prinsloo HF | Schultz JS | Van Rensburg Baby | |
| Chomse A | Du Preez AS | Korff WJJ | Reyneke Baby | Smit AA | Van Rensburg JB | |
| Chomse P | Du Preez GCP | Kriel CP | Schmidt MJ | Smit CH | Van Rensburg M | |
Important Numbers
| Medical Doctors | ||
| Dr. William-Lyon Pretorius | General Street | (013)712 3111 |
| Dr. van der Linde | General Street | (013)712 3111 |
| Dr. I. Saley | Crown Street | 0838773339 | 0827171609 |
| Dr. E Saley | Froger Street | (013) 7122491 |
| Dr. Dlamini | Spearville | (013) 712 5828 |
| Dr. Thwala | Dindela | (013) 712 6834 |
| Dr. Ndudane | Natal Street | (013) 712 3034 |
| Optometrist | ||
| Jacques Tinkhof | Stimela Centre | (013) 712 5696 |
| Physiotherapist | ||
| Karem Lea | (013) 712 6568 | |
| Hospitals | ||
| Barberton Government Hospital | (013) 712 3011 | |
| RH Medical Hospital | (013) 712 4279 | |
| Emergency | ||
| Ambulance | 10177 | |
| Police | 10111 | |
| Fire | (013) 712 8800 | |
Come and discover all the hidden gems and unique off the track exploring with us. We are looking forward hosting you in Barberton soon.