Photo essay: Among the forgotten mountains and deserted mines of the Northern Cape

The Richtersveld in the Northern Cape is known for its harsh, arid conditions, extreme temperatures, sweeping valleys and rugged mountains and is home to the succulent Karoo – a biodiversity hotspot between South Africa and Namibia. 

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But right alongside this are vast expanses of land scarred by historic and active mining activity where derelict and abandoned diamond mines are found in abundance.

Daily Maverick travelled with Protect The West Coast, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fighting illegal and destructive mining on the West Coast of South Africa, from Hondeklip Bay up to Alexander Bay, where a series of derelict diamond mines and devastated land can be found.

Barbed wire lining a diamond mine owned by Alexkor Richtersveld Mining Company Joint Venture in Alexander Bay, Northern Cape, on 17 January 2025. Alexkor's core business is mining diamonds on land, in the sea, and along rivers. The mine appeared deserted at the time, with idle excavators unmanned. As stated on Alexkor’s website, there is a vast resource of 90-95% gem-quality diamonds that exists off the west coast of southern Africa, and this is the source of the state-owned company’s diamonds. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

A 'No Entry' sign hangs on a barbed wire fence outside a diamond mine owned by the Alexkor Richtersveld Mining Company Joint Venture in Alexander Bay on 17 January 2025. Nestled between the Atlantic coast and the mouth of the Orange River, where South Africa meets Namibia, this mine is part of Alexkor’s operations extracting diamonds from land, riverbeds, and the surf zone. Here, marine alluvial diamond exploration stretches from the shore into the turbulent waters, tapping into one of the richest diamond deposits along southern Africa’s west coast. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

The mouth of the Orange River, where South Africa meets Namibia, lies directly opposite a diamond mine owned by the Alexkor Richtersveld Mining Company Joint Venture in Alexander Bay, Northern Cape. The state-owned company claims to integrate environmental management into its activities, but the reality on the ground appears to tell a different story — scarred landscapes, unrehabilitated mining sites, and rusting, abandoned equipment bearing witness to environmental neglect. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

A crumbling diamond mine sorting building is seen through the remains of a dilapidated shack at a mine owned by the Alexkor Richtersveld Mining Company Joint Venture in Alexander Bay. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

A dilapidated diamond mine sorting building stands amid crumbling infrastructure and rusting machinery in Alexander Bay. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

Parched and lifeless, the remnants of once-thriving vegetation stand in stark contrast to the barren, rocky landscape outside a seemingly abandoned mine in the Richtersveld of the Northern Cape. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

An old and broken-down building, which appeared to once be a clinic, remains at an abandoned diamond mining site in Hondeklip Bay on 19 January 2025. The building is falling apart, with rusted remains lying on the ground amid the deserted mining operation and sand mounds. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

Through a window at an abandoned diamond mining site in Hondeklip Bay, broken and rusted remnants of old buildings stand in decay on 19 January 2025. The structures are crumbling, their corroded remains scattered across the ground, surrounded by sand mounds and the eerie silence of a long-deserted mining operation. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

A weathered and partially burned diamond ledger displaying documents from Buffelsbank Diamante, a diamond mining operation. The pages, covered in dirt and decay, contain handwritten records and official stamps, suggesting historical financial or operational transactions from 1992. This was found at an abandoned diamond mining site in Hondeklip Bay on 19 January 2025. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

Another disintegrated and dirt-stained stock ledger form from Trans Hex Group, a diamond mining company that explores, mines, and markets diamonds from land and sea. This ledger, written in Afrikaans and English, was found at an abandoned diamond mine near the coast in Hondeklip Bay, South Africa, with faded entries on 19 January 2025. Trans Hex Marine’s mining area in South Africa is located in Sea Concession 2C and 3C just south of the Orange River mouth, which was a major point source for diamonds.(Photo: Kristin Engel)

Tattered, weathered documents and historic diamond ledgers scattered on the floor of an abandoned diamond mine in Hondeklip Bay. These ledgers were found amid buildings that were falling apart, their rusted remnants strewn across the ground, encircled by dunes around the seemingly abandoned mine near the coast. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

The bottom of a seemingly abandoned diamond mine in Hondeklip Bay showcasing rugged, eroded cliffs, a small salty water-filled pit, and remnants of salt deposits on 19 January 2025. This area is on a desert-like landscape with patches of red vegetation creeping along the water pit. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

A large accumulation of salt deposits rests at the bottom of a seemingly deserted and abandoned diamond mine in Hondeklip Bay on 19 January 2025. This is one of several abandoned and derelict mining sites along the route up to the Namakwa region of the Northern Cape. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

On 19 January2025, near the coast of Hondeklip Bay, a vast water-filled pit with high salinity lies at the base of rugged, eroded cliffs, probably shaped by past mining activity. Surrounding the pit, remnants of salt deposits glisten under the sun, highlighting the desolate and abandoned nature of the site. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

A fossilised oyster shell discovered at an old diamond mine near the coast in Hondeklip Bay. This was found among mineralised rocks and rubble and a large salt-filled water pit surrounded by mountains of sand cliffs, probably shaped by past mining activity. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

Amid the vast expanse of mining areas in the Richtersveld is a 'Save Our Succulents' message posted along a winding gravel road surrounded by vibrant vegetation and red sand. The unique variety of succulent plants native to South Africa is facing a growing threat due to the increasing global demand for ornamental plants. This rising demand has led to a sharp rise in illegal plant harvesting, particularly in the Succulent Karoo Biodiversity Hotspot, to meet the needs of an international horticultural market, largely driven by online sales. (Photo: Kristin Engel)

Diamonds are sourced on land, along rivers, on beaches and in the sea all along the northwest coast of South Africa. One of these sites is in Port Nolloth, a small coastal town in the Northern Cape, that has a diamond diving industry that has become a unique part of its economy. The practice involves skilled divers retrieving diamonds from the seabed. These divers descend to depths of up to 50 metres, where they collect diamonds that have been naturally deposited by ocean currents. According to locals, the boats pictured here are from De Beers, with its warehouse right on the small harbour. (Photo: Kristin Engel)