Ngwenya Mine

The Ngwenya Mine is located on Bomvu Ridge, northwest of Mbabane and near the north-western border of Swaziland. This mine is considered to be the world's oldest. The haematite ore deposit was used in the Middle Stone Age to extract red ochre, while in later times the deposit was mined for iron smelting and iron ore export.

Historic mining

Several stone age artefacts have been found in the mine during archaeological works in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their age was established with radiocarbon dating as older than 20.000 years. Later, radiocarbon dating yielded the age of the oldest mining activities as 41,000 to 43,000 years. This would make Ngwenya the oldest known mine. The site was known to Early Man for its deposits of red and specular haematite, used in cosmetics and rituals.

Red ochre from here was extracted by the ancestors of the San and used in rock paintings, which are common in Swaziland. By about 400 AD, pastoralist Bantu tribes had arrived from the north. They were familiar with the smelting of iron ore, and traded their iron widely throughout the African continent.

Ngwenya

Ngwenya is a town in western Swaziland, lying near the border with South Africa, north west of Mbabane, on the MR3 road. The South African town opposite Ngwenya is Oshoek in Mpumalanga province.

It is known for its glass factory and artwork. The Malolotja Nature Reserve lies near the town.

Coordinates: 26°13′12″S 31°00′36″E / 26.220°S 31.010°E / -26.220; 31.010

Ngwenya (surname)

Ngwenya is a surname common in Southern Africa, primarily found in Zimbabwe. Notable people with the surname include:

References

Ngwenya (disambiguation)

Ngwenya is a town in Swaziland.

Ngwenya may also refer to: