History 3

• Industrial Revolution in South Africa

  Also called the Mineral Revolution, based on the mining of minerals like diamonds and gold
• Discovery of diamonds in Kimberley

  1867
• Discovery of gold deep under the ground on the Witwatersrand

  1886
• By the time gold was discovered, African kingdoms had lost their independence</b>
• The gold-mining revolution laid the foundations of racial segregation and the control of white South Africans over black South Africans
• The Mineral Revolution changed South Africa from being an agricultural society to becoming the largest gold-producing country in the world
• Johannesburg


  City built on the gold mining industry, also known as Egoli which means the city of gold
• Migrant labour


  Increase in the number of migrant workers who came to work on the diamond and gold fields
• The discovery of diamonds created a huge demand for labour as Africans had to work for cash wages to buy guns and other implements
• Compounds


  • Separate accommodation for black workers, with some control by the mining companies but poor conditions
• Closed compounds


  Built by larger mining companies to confine black workers during their 3-6 month contracts, situated on the mining site
• Company owners wanted to improve living conditions of workers to increase productivity and control, and stop Illicit Diamond Buying (IDB)
• The British wanted to strengthen their position in southern Africa after the discovery of diamonds, by taking control of the areas where diamonds were found and the sources of labour
• The Boers were looking for more land and labour, and encouraged the British to conquer the remaining independent African kingdoms
• After long and bitter wars of resistance, the Xhosa, Pedi and Zulu kingdoms were finally defeated in the 1870s
• Gold


  Valuable because it is rare, does not rust, conducts electricity, reflects heat, and mixes easily with other minerals
• The gold standard meant countries had to keep gold in a bank vault to back their currency, and the price of gold was fixed internationally
• The Gold Law in the Transvaal said only white people could hold gold claims, and black people were only allowed as employees
• Miners faced many dangers working underground including rock falls, dynamite accidents, and lung diseases from the dust
• Miners sang songs like 'Shosholoza' to lift their spirits and cope with the terrible conditions
• Randlords


  Mine owners who provided the capital to start gold mines and made business decisions
• The Chamber of Mines was formed in 1899 as a powerful association of mine owners to deal with common problems
• Migrant workers


  • Workers who left home and travelled long distances to work on the mines for a few months, then returned home
• White miners were allowed to settle with their families in Johannesburg, while black men were forced to become migrant workers
• Racial segregation


  The system that developed during the Mineral Revolution, based on the false belief that some races are superior to others
• Laws in the Transvaal discriminated against Indians, prohibiting them from voting, living in certain areas, trading, and working on the gold mines
• Workers resisted in various ways including absenteeism, deliberately doing a poor job, and strikes against the importation of Chinese labour