The Braamfontein blast that levelled an entire district

In 1896, only 10 years after the discovery of gold, one of the largest single non-nuclear explosions in history, reverberated across Johannesburg. On this day, 130 years ago, a train loaded with dynamite destined for the mines, blew up in Braamfontein. The blast rattled windows in Pretoria and was heard 200km away in Klerksdorp. HOT1027’s Al Prodgers reports…