Ernest Oppenheimer Gardens & Diggers Memorial in Civic Centre, Kimberley, Northern Cape

The Ernest Oppenheimer Garden & Diggers Memorial is situated in Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

These gardens are a picturesque memorial to Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. He was the founder of the global Anglo American Corporation, a mining magnate and first elected Mayor of Kimberley when Beaconsfield and Kimberley were combined into a city in 1912. The bust of Oppenheimer sits proudly overlooking the Rose Garden and Diggers Fountain.

The most striking feature of the Gardens is the Diggers Memorial Fountain. It was designed by Herman Wald, a South African Sculpture, born in Hungary in 1906. This stunning working fountain was erected in honour of past miners of the Kimberley Mine. It depicts five life-size miners holding up a diamond sieve and each of the five figures represents one of Kimberley’s five big diamond mines, namely Kimberley Mine, De Beers Mine, Bultfontein Mine, du Toitspan Mine and Wesselton Mine.

The gardens are a relaxing spot for visitors where a quiet moment can be enjoyed between the activities of the day.

Things to do and see

• Digger Fountain Memorial
• Ernest Oppenheimer Bust
• Rose garden

Admission

No admission fee

Open Daily

Climate

Kimberley experiences rainfall mainly in the summer months with the highest occurring in February and March.

Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 17˚C and 32˚C.

Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 0˚C and 17˚C.

Transport

There are daily flights into Kimberley from  O R Tambo Airport in Johannesburg and from Cape Town International Airport. Car rental facilities are available.