The Kruger Millions
Some tales of lost treasures simply refuse to die, no matter how much they are dismissed or even discredited. The story of the Kruger Millions is one such tale. A hoard of gold reputedly stashed away by President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic at the end of the nineteenth century, it has long fascinated treasure hunters, with countless expeditions having been mounted in a bid to claim some, or even all, of a loot estimated to be worth an incredible $500,000,000 in today’s money. So why would a political leader hide such a huge amount of money away where nobody could ever find it?
As with many other treasures, political unrest lies behind this tale. In 1899, the Orange Free State and the South African Republic started rebelling against the extent of the British Empire’s influence in the south of Africa. The resulting Boer War was complex in its origins and aims. What was most definitely one key concern for the rebelling white South Africans was control of the hugely lucrative Witwatersrand gold mines. It was these mines which produced the gold coins that backed up the fledgling nation’s wealth. Each one-ounce coin was adorned with President Kruger’s head and stored in the national reserves in the capital city of Pretoria.
With the Boer War waging, Kruger ordered that, if one day it looked like the British would take Pretoria, all the gold was to be moved out of the city and hidden somewhere in the Lowveld region of the country. Sure enough, that day came and so, according to the legend, at the very end of the 1890s, several wagons were filled with gold bullion and coins and taken into the bush. The South African soldiers protecting the precious cargo came under attack from a British patrol and many perished. But still, the remaining men succeeded in their mission, burying the whole wagons, keeping the riches safe from the Brits.
The day after the loot was hidden, however, the soldiers came under attack again. All were killed, meaning nobody who knew the exact location of the Kruger Millions was left alive. Even the President himself didn’t know. What’s more, in 1900, he was forced to leave South Africa and seek exile in Switzerland. He died just four years later, still unaware of what happened to the coins with his face on them.
Over the decades, countless bounty hunters and amateur adventurers have searched high and low in the Lowveld region hoping to strike it rich. To date, the location of the gold remains a mystery. From time to time, however, a single coin, or even a handful of gold coins dating back to the 1890s, are dug up from the South African soil, keeping the legend of a huge stash well and truly alive.