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Location | |
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Country | ![]() |
Coordinates | 26°12′06″S 31°02′02″E / 26.20178°S 31.03396°E |
Production | |
Products | Iron ore (and derived specularite) |
History | |
Opened | 41,000 to 43,000 years ago (oldest mine known in History) |
Closed | 2014 |
The Ngwenya Mine is located on Bomvu Ridge, northwest of Mbabane and near the northwestern border of Eswatini (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.