1886 – 1896: The Witwatersrand gold rush

1886

Gold discovered - At the end of the nineteenth century George Harrison discovered gold on the Witwatersrand reef and with that the largest market for dynamite exploded into existence. The Witwatersrand gold rush was the catalyst that fuelled industrial awakening in South Africa.

1895

SA's President forms initiates first explosives factory - The great demand for explosives prompted the then President of the South African Republic – Paul Kruger – to initiate the establishment of the ‘Zuid Afrikaansche Fabrieken voor Ontplofbare Stoffen Beperk’ at Modderfontein.

Construction of explosives factory commences - Dr Franz Hoenig, an Austrian seconded from the Nobel explosives factory in Pressburg, Hungary, was the first manager and was in charge of construction, which started in 1895 and took about a year to complete.

1896

Factory opens - On 25th April 1896 President Paul Kruger officially opened the factory on one of his rare visits to the Rand.

First cartridge explosive - The first cartridged explosives were produced on 29th June 1896 with full scale production commencing in November of that year. At that time, cartridges were paper-wrapped and bulk explosives were not yet available.

Business was booming at the Modderfontein factory, driven by the relentless pace of progress in mining and industry, particularly the gold mining industry.