Loyal Durnacol couple make the huge, emotional trek down south

A little bit of history was lost this week when two of Durnacol’s most loyal residents, Johnny and Marlene Koen, packed up their home in the village to make the trek down to Port Elizabeth.
The couple have deep roots in Northern KZN, with Marlene having schooled in Dundee while her dad worked as a miner at the once-thriving Durnacol colliery, which employed over 5000 people at its peak.

They are two of the last old Durnacol mine employees who have stayed on in the village since the mine closed.
Johnny, who was born in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, worked on the railways before arriving at Durnacol in 1989 to take up a post in the finance department.
The mine’s last shift was on December 31, 1999, but Johnny stayed on for Exxaro, which had the job of carrying out the rehabilitation of the vast expanses of coal dumps.

His 35 years of service ended in 2021 when he and Marlene, who also worked there, both finished their contracts.
Marlene has fond memories of working at various hospitality venues after completing school, with stints at The Sports Tavern (Dundee) and the famous (now demolished) Duchens Hotel between Dannhauser and Durnacol.
In 2008, she also joined Exxaro.

“We are so attached to our community and home in Durnacol that leaving here is like the end of a book,” said Marlene, recalling how Durnacol was regarded as the finest working environment in Iscor’s mining portfolio.
“Others were jealous of us at Durnacol.
“It was such a brilliant place. The house and gardens in the village were all kept in pristine condition.

“We paid R10 a month ‘levies’ but we had to ensure that our gardens were all neat, otherwise there would be trouble!”
The roads, gardens and parks were all immaculate, and the sense of community pride among ‘Durncolites’ was palpable.
Johnny said that, in winter, the mine delivered wood and anthracite to residents for heating; and top-flight recreational activities kept everyone busy.
“No matter your interest – from soccer to boxing, cricket, bowls and rugby – there was a club to join here. The Durnacol club was at the centre of everything and great pride was taken when representing Durnacol in whatever sport.”

Johnny still proudly remembers being part of the outfit that took the Durnacol team to second in the Northern KZN rugby league.
“Our little club even beat the mighty Iscor Newcastle that could field up to five teams.”

However, once the mine closed and the Dannhauser Municipality assumed control of Durnacol, the maintenance in the village became non-existent.

Huge potholes have replaced the pristine roads, and the parks where children played have been destroyed by vandals.
Theft is common, with Marlene reporting six break-ins over the past two years.
A young mother was recently stabbed to death in her Durnacol home by her boyfriend, and the Koens’ neighbour was also attacked and injured two weeks ago.
“There are huge water issues with constant outages that also affect Dannhauser. The sewage (as reported in the Courier) is constantly overflowing, which has led to flies invading our home and making it very uncomfortable.”

Despite all these negatives, the Koens are tearful to be saying goodbye to ‘DNC’.
“Yes, there are problems – security being a major one.
“The kids have nothing to do and many have drifted into drug use, which has had a knock-on effect of a rise in crime.
“But this is still home and we will miss our dear friends here.”
As keen gardeners, Johnny and Marlene last year boasted a tomato crop of 62kg from their garden.
“We love braai’ing, cooking and producing our own fresh produce. Even though we are moving to Port Elizabeth to be with Johnny’s parents, our Northern KwaZulu-Natal – the best place in South Africa – will always be in our hearts.”

HAVE YOUR SAY: Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or email us at dundee.courier@caxton.co.za. Add us on WhatsApp 071 277 1394.