Where was Mywanza? (previously where was Kikondga, Congo Belge)?

[rolt968]

Can anyone tell me where Kikondga in the then Belgian Congo was? It seems to have had something to do with gold mining.

William Grant, the father of one of the men I am researching (also William) seems to be a shadowy figure. He was a plasterer to trade but seems at some time to have become a goldminer. Although he was at home to father 3 children, there seem to be no other traces - not even the 1901 census.

De Ruvigny says that he was at Kikondga. By the time the CWGW register was completed he was dead.

RM

Edited 20 January , 2019 by rolt968
Addition to question

[IPT]

I expect it's Kikondja, which is on modern maps of the DRC.

[rolt968]

I expect it's Kikondja, which is on modern maps of the DRC.

Very many thanks. (Mind you I'm not sure where I go from there!)

[rolt968]

After much searching I have just found the newspaper notice of William Grant's death. He died in 1926 at "Mywanza, South Africa". He was a miner (possibly gold miner).

 

The obvious place seems to me to be Mwanza, but that's not in South Africa. It is at the southern end of Lake Victoria in what was then Tanganika Territory. That would certainly be reasonable if head previously been at Kikondja.

 

What does anyone think?

RM

[seaJane]

Is it possible that they meant south[ern] Africa rather than South Africa? The Union of South Africa wasn't created until 1910.

[KONDOA]

The Lake Victoria gold fields are near Mwanza. Quick check on wiki shows a couple of mines in the area during your period of interest. 

 

Roop

[rolt968]

11 hours ago, KONDOA said:

The Lake Victoria gold fields are near Mwanza. Quick check on wiki shows a couple of mines in the area during your period of interest. 

 

Roop

Thank you that explains a lot.

20 hours ago, seaJane said:

Is it possible that they meant south[ern] Africa rather than South Africa? The Union of South Africa wasn't created until 1910.

Thank you, I suspect that you may be right

I suspect that either his family didn't know exactly where it was or it was meant to be a general term as you say.

 

I was surprised to find that he died as late as 1926. As I said in the first post, de Ruvigny has him still as alive but the CWGC register has him as dead.

RM