Deep- Level Gold Mining on

the Witwatersrand 1886

onwards
Unit 2 (112-129)
1. Why Gold is Valuable?

 Gold is one of the 3 precious metals (Gold,

Platinum and Silver)
 Durability- Does not tarnish or corrode under
normal circumstances.
 Flexibility- The most flexible of all metals.
 Conductivity- Good conductor of electricity and
heat.
 Heat Reflecting- Reflects heat waves effectively.
 The Colour - Rare colour, ideal for jewellery
making.
 2. The Discovery of Gold on the Witwatersrand?

 First found by Edward Button –

Spitskop farm
 Second found- George
Harrison and George walker –
Witwatersrand.
 SA became the biggest gold-
producing country.
2.1. How Gold is Mined?

 Hard Rock Mining – 2 Types.

 1) Open-pit Mining
 2)Underground Gold Mining
Open-pit Mining

 Large trench like opening is

dug into the Earths surface.
 Gold ore is extracted from
surround rocks.
 Gold ore is taken to
processing plant
 Chemicals remove gold from
rock.
Underground Gold Mining

 Underground mining.
 Ore is transported via tunnels to surface.
 Deep, air-cons are needed for people to
breathe.
 Gold was at a deep-level, could not just
dig for it, need machinery.
 Only rich could afford machinery so only
rich made money.
2.2. What are the Conditions
Underground?

 Damp, dark, hot and noisy.

 May flood
 Mines have lights on main tunnels, smaller tunnels
only have lights on men’s hats.
 Workers may have to be on their hands and
knees for some time- back problems.
 Dangers: cave-ins, fires, explosions, dangerous
gases.
 Health dangers (from dust): pneumoconiosis
(coat dust) or silicosis (rock dust)
2.3. Randlords and the Chamber of Mines
2.3.1. Randlords

 Randlords- someone who owned gold

mines (wealthy and educated).
 Knowledgeable in finance and
organization skills
 Combination of smaller companies
 They furthered their wealth by listing them
on stock exchange.
2.3.2. Chamber of Mines

 Has the following roles:

1) negotiating labour concerns on behalf of mine
workers
2) administering training programs for mineworkers
3)training mineworkers in rescue and safety
 Operate today still
 Formed by mining group to prevent competition for
labour.
 Represented mining companies and interaction with
government.
2.4. Migrant Workers

 Closed compounds and cheap labour for diamonds

NOW needed for gold mines.
 Gold mines much more labour intensive.
 Forcing African labours into the gold mining a few
things needed to happen:
1. Hut tax that had to be paid in money
2. Forced Africans off white-owned farms
3. Set up a recruitment system (jobs for wages and
accommodation)
 They signed a contract to work for a few years.
 Workers lived in compounds
 Conditions were hash
 New rules:
1. Mine workers had to carry a pass(cannot move from one mine to another)
2. Trade Unions were banned
3. Tot system was introduced, part of your wages were paid in alcohol (couldn’t save money
to take home)
 Gold mines made huge profit
2.5. Burden on Women in the Reserves
and Erosion of Families

 Life was difficult without men

 Increased burden on women
 Family structure started to crumble.
2.5.1. Women in the Reserve

 Men left for work.

 Women then had to do all men’s work.
 Agriculture production dropped
 Not enough food for everyone
 Women didn’t always have enough farming knowledge-
destroyed the soil.
 Men on the mines were even more pressured to provide for
their families.
 Women and children became more poor.
 Women were forced to find work to help provide for their
families.
2.5.2. The Erosion of Families

 Men stayed away from families for years.

 Negative impact on relationships between men
and families.
 Men followed city ways- drinking and gambling.
 Men created new lives.
 Both parents eventually worked. Forcing a gap
between children and parents.
Classwork/ Homework

 Activity 3 (115)
 Activity 4 (119)
2.6. Skilled and Unskilled White Workers

 Deep-level mining required skilled miners.

 Miners were then imported from overseas. (Brittan, Scotland,
China and Wales)
 Skilled miners earned (18-22 pounds)
 Unskilled workers – mainly Afrikaans (2-3 pounds)
 Classes were then developed and paid differently:
1. Short supply of skilled workers= negotiate prices to be higher.
2. Skilled miners belonged to strong trade unions.
 Afrikaans workers were worried and importing of workers had
stopped.
2.6.1 The Role of Unions

 1897 Afrikaans miners went on strike.

 Why? Manager tried to drop the wage
 Strike gained support of the unions.
 Managers would not drop wages for skilled workers.
 Workers had won.
 Later other strikes happened for paid holidays,
compensation for accidents, overtime rates, shorter
working hours.
2.6.2. Job Reservations

 Job Reservations also know as the Colour Bar= reserved

jobs for white people.
 Intention: safety regulation to prevent accidents.
(preventing unskilled people from doing skilled jobs)
 White miners (skilled and expensive) fought with mines to
employ them over black labours(unskilled and cheap)
 Black miners were not allowed to be educated to
become skilled. (certificate for truck)
2.7. Anti-Indian Legislation

 Lots of Indian Indentures and Indian Passengers.

 This lead to Indian families moving in land
 This lead to Anti-Indian legislation being formed.
 Almost like a mini-apartheid.
 They could not: own land, vote, mine, walk on
pavements, work benefits, compensation if injured,
no education with others, not be citizens.
 They had to carry passes (NO pass=JAIL)
2.8. Forms of Labour Resistance

 Harsh conditions in the mine lead to different

resistance:
1. Desertion: Workers ran away from the mines.
2. Go Slow: Workers purposely work slow as a form of
protest.
3. Boycotts: Didn’t look at work from mines but rather
railways
4. Strikes: Refused to work until conditions improved.
(Illegal strikes that often were violent)
2.8.1. The Industrial and Commercial
Workers Union

 Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU)

 Formed: Clements Kadalie (1919)
 Represented dock workers, farmers and urban workers
 Popular in rural areas
 Addressed issues directly impacting black workers.
 3 years it collapsed (lack of organization skills and fighting
in the union)
2.9. The City of Johannesburg

 2 main gold mines: Langlaagte and Transvaal.

 Transvaal gold ended after a few years.
 Langlaagte gold- seemed to never run dry.
 New communities, shops, homes were built
quickly.
 Johannesburg became a city in 1928 (moving
from tents to buildings t where it is today)
 Within 10 years Joburg became the biggest
city in SA. (CT is 200 years old!)
Classwork/ Homework

 Activity 5 (122)
 Activity 6 (123-124)
3. The Mineral Revolution:

 Turning Point for many reasons:

1. Population Movement in all race
groups, from rural to urban.
2. Economy went from Agricultural to
industrial.
3. Beginning of land ownership and
labour.
3.1. The Shifting Balance of Power

 Went from a Black dominating country to a White dominating country.

 White domination started when the British colonized parts of Southern Africa.
 Black leaders were not allowed to be involved with politics or the economic life of
SA.
 They formed African parties to share their ideas.
 This is the foundation of apartheid and African Natalism.
3.1.1. 1902- Defeat of the Boer Republic

 Britain was interested in the land the Boer occupied.

 Some British settlers moved into the land and were
called Uitlanders.
 Rhodes, Prime Minister, plotted a rebellion, aiming to
overthrow the Transvaal government.
 Two boer republics formed an alliance and hostility
between Afrikaans and English grew.
 October 1899- War broke out.
 First Boers were successful then later Britain brought
more topes and Brittan was strong.
 Boers surrendered.
3.1.2. 1902-African political Organisations

 African Political organisation (APO) was formed – further the interests of

coloured people.
 Present of the APO spread his influence across the boarders of the Cape
Colony.
 Aim= improved the coloured peoples education and voting rights.
 Organization helped with objecting the colour bar.
3.1.3. 1903- Transvaal Indian Congress

 Transvaal British Indian Association. (TIC)

 Gandhi was a Indian who studied law in
England
 He came to SA to help Indians resist the
anti-Indian legislation.
 Organization used petitions to appeal to
the authority.
3.1.4. 1906- Bambata Rebellion

 After the Boer War white business owners had difficulty recruiting African workers because
of the gold mines.
 Authorities added a 1 pound poll tax on top of the hut tax- reason? Force African men to
find work for money and leave farms.
 Bambatha was a Zulu chief who resisted these taxes.
 Government responded by removing his chieftaincy.
 Bambatha with a small group of people started a series of attacked against the British
people.
 Bambatha died but his men continued fighting.
 British won- they had guns and cannons.
3.1.5. 1910- Formation of the Union of
South Africa

 Union of South Africa was formed under British Rule.

 8 years after signing the Treaty of Vereening (bringing the war to an end).
 Cape Colony was the only place is SA where people of colour could vote.
3.1.6. Formation of the South African
Native National Congress

 1912 opposing the Natives Land act, the African

National Congress/ ANC was formed.
 Meet in 1912 in Bloemfontein to protests against
racial discrimination and to receive equal
treatment before the law.
3.1.7. The Satyagraha Campaign

 Campaign lead by Mahatma Gandhi and Sorabji.

 Aimed for the following:
1. Resist unjust acts against Indian south Africans
2. Resist Native Lands Act
3. Resist the 3 pound tax part of immigration laws.
3.1.8. 1913- The Natives’ Land Act

 Segregation, giving each group of people or

tribe their own land.
 Black communities owned 7% of the land in
SA
 Black SA’s were not allowed to purchase land
in white areas.
 This act lead to the foundations of apartheid.
3.2. Map of Southern Africa: 1860 and
1913

 SA become a country on 31 May 1961

 Before this: communities were scattered
 Communities always in conflict over: land,
labour and cattle.
 From 1910 SA became more political.
Classwork/ Homework

 Activity 7 (128)
 Mark