Dronfield

The 12 000 hectares Dronfield Nature Reserve has belonged to De Beers since 1888 and was originally bought as a deposition site for the nearby mine. It was instructed that the “portion of the estate not needed for mining floors purposes could be advantageously let for grazing”. This only changed in 2004 when Dronfield was proclaimed a nature reserve and stocked with herds of eland, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra and kudu – all translocated from the De Beers property Rooipoort Nature Reserve, 70km west of Kimberley. White rhino and sable antelope populations have been introduced, along with breeding populations of buffalo and roan antelope. There are also tsessebe on an adjoining farm, the objective being to breed suitable populations for release on Dronfield and other De Beers conservation properties.

To date about 140 bird species have been identified on Dronfield, complemented by herds of springbok, impala, duiker and steenbok. Dronfield is situated very close to Kamfer’s dam, home to up to 50 000 Lesser Flamingoes. An artificial island in Kamfer’s Dam is now used by this species for breeding and may become only the fourth regular breeding site for this species in the world.

Importantly, Dronfield is home to a breeding colony of White-backed Vultures, which has been extensively researched for over 20 years. A vulture restaurant has also been established on the reserve to enable researchers and visitors to watch these enormous birds from up close.
Culturally speaking, Dronfield figured prominently during the Anglo Boer War and wagon tracks can still be seen traversing the property. When the siege of Kimberley commenced, De Beers had a large supply of dynamite in stock which was all detonated on Dronfield to ensure the safety of Kimberley. Although several skirmishes took place on Dronfield Ridge between the Boers and Diamond Fields Artillery, no damage was done to the property.