Case file · Folklore / legend
The Kruger Millions
As British troops neared Pretoria in June 1900, the Transvaal government emptied the Mint and National Bank and sent the gold east by train; legend says much of it was buried in the veld.
1900 CE · -25.75, 28.19 · status: legend
The account
Jan Smuts oversaw the loading of the gold on 4 June 1900, the day before the British entered the empty Mint. Accounts of how much there was disagree widely. A jailed horse thief claimed in 1905 that gold was buried near the Blyde River, and treasure hunters have dug ever since.
The sceptical view
Records show gold was spent on the war, handed to firms in Lourenço Marques and shipped to Europe. A 2001 'find' was a hoax; the best real trace is a hoard of Kruger coins found in a Swiss vault and sold in 2021.