Simmer and Jack

Simmer & Jack, a trading company in Harrismith which ran a shop in Chrissiesmeer had, a year earlier, acquired half of Meyer's farm.

With the founding of the company in August 1887 Simmer and Jack took on board the entrepreneur Sir George Farrar, whose family imported drilling equipment to South Africa.

To finance their activities they founded the London-based company 'The Gold Fields of South Africa Ltd.' Simmer & Jack was one of the first mines to draw their attention.

Contact with the Scottish chemist John Seward MacArthur, brought news of the cyanide process and made possible the success of the South African gold mining industry.

The initial years of the company were against a background of political turmoil (Jameson Raid, Second Boer War), various economic difficulties and huge investments.