The Kruger Millions is a legendary hoard of treasures that include gold, coins, and diamonds with its mysterious disappearance capturing the imagination of treasure hunters and historians alike.
This trove of immense wealth went missing during the South African Boer War with mystery about its location still surrounding the treasures today.
Rumours and urban legends surround the Kruger Millions with a number of theories as to where it may have disappeared to.
Some hypothesise it has been hidden in South Africa with others believing it was sent overseas by or on behalf of President Paul Kruger.
Regardless of the various theories swirling around the Kruger Millions, the mystery and ongoing hunt to find these treasures remains a hot topic.
The Kruger Millions are estimated to be worth over £396 million ($500 million) in today’s currency.
The location of this impressive hoard remains unknown with no concrete evidence to support any particular theory.
One of the main theories claims that the gold is buried somewhere between Pretoria and Mozambique’s bushveld with others believing its location is underground in the Lowveld area.
Another popular theory is that President Paul Kruger hid the gold after a war in South Africa against the British.
President Kruger was the State President of the South African Republic during the 19th-century.
He died in 1904 and took the secrets of the Kruger Millions with him to the grave.
In 1877, the British annexed the Transvaal (a Boer republic in South Africa) to expand British influence in the region with the Kruger Millions rumoured to have been stashed just before the British captured it after the Second Boer War.
As the Second Boer War broke out, many believed that President Kruger had ordered the removal of the gold in order to keep it out of the hands of the British.
The Kruger millions may have also been sent to Europe alongside President Kruger, or it may have been distributed in order to fund the war.
In 2001, there were rumours that a family of farm workers from the town of Ermelo had found the long lost coins.
Many believed this to be true as Ermelo was home to one of the last great battles near the end of the Second Boer War.
However these claims turned out to be a grand hoax in a bid to help attract tourists to the region.
In 2021, a sack of Kruger ponds was discovered sitting in a Swiss vault and were later sold at auction with the South African Mint said to be now the owners of these ponds.
Regardless of the treasure’s endless theories, the story of the Kruger Millions remains a fascinating urban legend which is part of the Boer War-era and the nation of South Africa.
