From Tailings to Tourism
Cultural Heritage as One Path for Mining Communities
Headframes, shafts, pits and veins. These are all terms associated with the mining industry. From the black coal dust of Middelburg to the purple haze of Kuruman; from the tailings facilities around the Witwatersrand to the name of South Africa’s currency – the Rand – mining forms an intrinsic part of South Africa’s economy. In fact, 6% of the total South African Gross Domestic Product was derived from the mining industry in 2024, generating export earnings of over US$46 billion in the same year. Nearly half a million South Africans rely directly on the mining sector for employment, with 91,000 being employed in the coal mining industry – which accounted for over a quarter of the 2023 mining revenue (Cowling, 2024; Muñoz, 2025).
Though the importance of this sector is undeniable, the minerals on which it depends are a non-renewable resource. In South Africa alone, mineral yields in 2025 declined by nearly 8% (Muñoz, 2025). While this is not necessarily a spiralling trend, it reminds us of the stark reality we will one day have to face: What do we do when our mineral reserves are depleted?
The impact of this reality has been felt across Africa. Of the ten countries with the highest mineral dependency, seven are located in Africa (UN Trade & Development, 2023). Botswana, globally the country with the highest mineral dependency, has experienced this market volatility first-hand when the country saw a decline of 50% in mining revenue in 2024, translating to an economic loss of roughly US$3 billion. In response, the government announced a strategic reduction of 16% in diamond production for 2025, launching the Diamonds and Beyond program to redirect resources towards agriculture, renewable energy, technology and tourism (Coco, 2025).
What happens though, when the case study is not a country with billions in GDP to invest and redistribute, but instead it’s a small town in the middle of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa? To answer this, we need to look back to 1914 and the story of Kimberley.
The Kimberley Model: Turning the World’s Deepest Hole into a Tourist Destination
After closing down in August 1914, the Kimberley Mine inadvertently left its host town’s economy to decline. A total of 3,000kg of diamonds had been excavated throughout the mine’s 42-year operational lifetime, leaving only a large hole, a quaint town and thousands of unemployed individuals in its wake. Many of the mine workers relocated to other diamond mines in the wider region, including Jagersfontein and the Kimberley Underground mines. Those that remained were left with limited options, as the majority of the town’s economy had been built around the mine.
With a whole mining town and the world’s deepest hole excavated by hand, these people set off to market their town. Its unique status became an attraction for tourists, and the local population capitalised on this. For roughly fifty years, people would trickle to Kimberley to view the “deepest hand-dug hole in the world”, aptly named the ‘Big Hole’. But this was not enough to sustain the economy – Kimberley required more visitors.
Innovation was required to draw tourists. In the early 1960s, efforts were made to establish a museum of curiosities to encapsulate the town’s early history. In 1965, De Beers upgraded this collection of memorabilia and injected large volumes of capital into creating a large, open-air museum including structures, dioramas, streetscapes and historic vehicles and equipment used during excavation of the Big Hole. This arguably had the desired effect and tourism boomed. In subsequent years, De Beers injected around US$3 million into upgrades of the tourist attractions, maintaining the town’s allure and, inherently, its tourism (Brown, 2004).
Kimberley’s success demonstrates that social transitioning towards cultural tourism requires a couple of key elements: continuous innovation, and a shared pride in cultural heritage.
Supporting Examples: Cullinan and Gold Reef City
The South African town of Cullinan serves as another example of successful mining-to-tourism transition. Established in 1903 as a mining town, Cullinan soon became renowned as the source of the largest diamond ever discovered. Using this as a marketing point and preserving its Edwardian architecture and historic appeal, Cullinan managed to draw thousands of tourists over the years, particularly ‘weekend tourists’ from nearby Pretoria and Johannesburg. Similar to Kimberley, consistent innovation maintained its attraction through creative additions including cultural art markets, artistic restaurants and craft shops. While the Cullinan Mine is still in operation, thousands of people flock to Cullinan every week to experience not the mine, but the cultural tourism appeal that the town has to offer.
What happens when a community lacks such unique attractions? Gold Reef City in Johannesburg provides the answer. After the discovery of a large gold reef in 1886, in the area that would later become Johannesburg, rapid expansion resulted in a booming goldmining economy during the ‘Witwatersrand Gold Rush’ (Rosenhal, 1970; The Witwatersrand Gold Rush 1886 (VC), n.d.). However, with the instability of gold trading prices in the 1970s, a large number of mines in and around Johannesburg ceased their operations.
In response to the mine closures and the immense costs of demolishing infrastructure, efforts shifted in the 1980s to preservation. Shaft No. 14, which operated from 1887 to 1971; along with the shaft tower, mine winder, headgear, the original mining houses, and steam locomotives were preserved as cultural heritage resources. A theme park was constructed around this infrastructure, incorporating the theme of the Witwatersrand Gold Rush of the 19th century. All additional structures erected were constructed to mimic the Victorian era and, unlike Kimberley’s Big Hole or Cullinan’s record-holding diamond, Gold Reef City created tourism where there was none, based purely on the rich cultural history of the area. The park continuously adapted and innovated, adding world-class rides whilst maintaining focus on cultural heritage through museum construction and heritage tours.
Conclusion: One Path Among Many
These case studies have shown that transformation towards cultural tourism is possible for mining communities. However, it’s crucial to recognise that tourism will not be the right answer for all mining towns. Rather, these examples demonstrate one way that communities were able to sustain their existence beyond the lifespan of their mines.
The success of Kimberley, Cullinan, and Gold Reef City shouldn’t be viewed as a universal solution, but as inspiration for communities seeking alternatives. Each mining town will have unique circumstances, resources, and opportunities that may lead them down different paths – whether towards agriculture, renewable energy, technology, or other industries entirely.
What these examples do prove is that with creativity, community commitment, and strategic investment, mining towns need not face economic collapse when their minerals run out. Cultural heritage tourism offers one viable pathway, but the key lesson is broader: proactive diversification and innovation can help communities write new chapters in their stories.
