The scenic town of Barberton in the De Kaap Valley lies at the foot of the Mokhonjwa Mountains, one of the oldest ranges in the world. The first gold was discovered in Barberton on 20 June 1883 by Auguste Roberts (French Bob) and this led to the establishment of the very first South African Stock Exchange in the town; the remains of which can still be seen. Barberton was proclaimed in 1884 through the efforts of the two Barber brothers Fred and Harry and their cousin Graham Barber, from Natal, who found what they called Barber's Reef - a reef so rich that it glittered with gold, The area has the oldest gold and silver deposits in the world and although gold mining is tailing off, it still continues today. Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his dog Jock frequented the area, the famous 'Jock of the Bushveld' stories were set there. A statue of Jock can still be seen the town.

On the newly re-constructed R40, about 50km south of Nelspruit.

EMBASSY INFO:
There are no embassies in Barberton.

HEALTHCARE:
Doctor no. for Dr Van Ramesdonk and others. An alternate doctor contact number is +27(0)13 712 3173.

“In 21 June 1884 Graham Barber (One of the Barber brothers) wrote a letter to the State Secretary to inform him that payable gold had been found on State-owned land and to claim the reward therefore. The State Secretary requested the Magistrate at Lydenburg to investigate so that the Gold Commissioner could submit a report. It was found that the Barber reef was highly payable and yielded 7 ounces of gold per ton In his book 'Behind the Scenes in the Transvaal' David Wilson writes that he decided to declare a township at the base of the hills where the Umvoti Creek entered the De Kaap valley, broke a bottle of gin on the Barber Reef, champagne was not available, and named it Barberton” - Chris Smit, 2024/06/09

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