The revolution in south african historiography iain smith published in history today volume 38 issue 2 february 1988 during the past twentyfive years, the study of south african history has undergone a transformation which, in historiographical terms, represents a revolution. Opportunities and challenges facing the south african mining industry presentation to the sacea agm by roger baxter, senior executive, chamber of mines of south africa, 17 february 2011 presentation outline mining and minerals, integral to modern society the south african mining industry the future the global mining industry back to the. The mineral revolution is a term used by historians to refer to the rapid industrialisation and economic changes which occurred in south africa from the 1870s. Posts about mineral revolution written by sharedpast. Use the link below to share a fulltext version of this article with your friends and colleagues. South africa the mineral revolution country studies. The mineral revolution of south africa effect on the countrys economic development during the apartheid regime products. By then, south africa had no known gold deposits such as. In july 2018, mineral council of south africa announced, 75% of mines in south africa are now unprofitable due to decline in gold reserves. He used his power and wealth to become prime minister of the cape colony from 1890 to 1896 and, through his chartered british south africa company, conqueror and ruler of modernday zambia and zimbabwe. Produced by south african film maker emil nofal in the mid1960s, the film opens with rows of gold bars as the narrator joe stewardson explains how. Before south africas vast mineral wealth was discovered in the late nineteenth century, there was a general belief that southern africa was almost destitutesimilar wealth that had drawn europeans to the rest of the continent.
A perspective on the south african mining industry in the 21st century an independent report prepared for the chamber of mines of south africa by the graduate school of business of the university of cape town in association with genesis analytics. A pervasive system of migrant labor played a fundamental part in shaping the past and present of south africa s economy and society and has left indelible marks on the wider region. The year 1870 was a turning point in south africa historical context as it ushered in an era of dramatic change prompted by the discovery of minerals, first diamond and later gold in the southern africa interior. South africa reconstruction, union, and segregation. The evolution of occupational structures in south africa 18751911. South africa s earliest soup kitchens were not for black, but, rather, for white children. It caused population movement in all race groups from rural to urban areas in search of work. The mineral revolution was largely driven by the need to create permanent workforce to work in themining industry andsouth africa transformed from a patch work of agrarian states to a unified. How did south africa as a whole change duringafter the mineral revolution. The service industry most heavily dependent on mining is rail freight, in south africa a monopoly in the form of transnet freight rail tfr, a division of the stateowned company transnet previously south african transport services and before that south african railways and harbours. Grade 8 topic 2 the mineral revolution in south africa. The mineral revolution is a term used by historians to refer to the rapid industrialisation and economic changes which occurred in south africa from the 1870s onwards. South african economic development in the light of the new.
Its hard to say whether or not i would have been more absorbed in the book if it was the first thing i learned from this book is that i knew just about nothing about 19th century south africa. What was the impact of mineral revolution in south africa. Initially the mineral revolution in south africa was a dynamic process. A century of migrant labour in the gold mines of south africa. The mineral revolution in south africa started with the discovery of. By the time that gold was discovered, african kingdoms had lost their independence. A second central objective of what follows is to criticise the arguments advanced by adherents of the cst thesis in support of their claim that revolutionary class struggle in south africa. As a leading global manufacturer of crushing, grinding and mining equipments, we offer advanced, reasonable solutions for any sizereduction requirements including, the mineral revolution of south africa effect on the countrys economic development during the apartheid. There has been a large impact on the south african economy by the mineral revolution of diamonds. It transformed the south africa economic sector from agricultural. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining in south africa a case study prepared by.
History mineral revolution in sa arts and humanities. Cimera centre of excellence for integrated mineral and energy resource analysis cng compressed natural gas co 2 carbon dioxide. How this was to be done, however, revolved around two divergent views of the national democratic revolution ndr which forms the underlying ideology or glue that binds together the tripartite alliance comprising the anc, the south african. Doc the mineral revolution in south afraca chilufya. Africans had mined gold for centuries at mapungubwe in south africa, on the border with zimbabwe and later at the successor state of great zimbabwe, and they had traded with arabs and portuguese on the east coast of africa. The mineral revolution was largely driven by the need to create a permanent workforce to work in the mining industry, and saw south africa transformed. Title of dissertation the effects of migrant labour on the family system summary the migrant labour practice in south africa played an important role in the countrys.
Why was the mineral revolution and turning point in south african history. The impact of the mineral revolution, 18701936 in concluding chapter three the opinion was given that the development of a particular black perception of south african history was directly linked to the writers current situation. Diamonds were initially identified in 1867 in an area adjoining the. Before south africa s vast mineral wealth was discovered in the late nineteenth century, there was a general belief that southern africa was almost destitutesimilar wealth that had drawn europeans to the rest of the continent. Independent african chiefdoms were systematically subjugated and incorporated by their whiteruled neighbours. Who did the black south africans support during the south african war.
The mineral revolution south africa how south africa. The mineral discoveries had a major impact on the subcontinent as a whole. The union of south africa was born on may 31, 1910, created by a constitutional convention in durban in 1908 and an act of the british parliament 1909. Victor munnik mvula trust with geraldine hochmann mvula trust, mathews hlabane sa green revolutionary council and stephen law environmental monitoring group january 2010 a joint initiative of environmental monitoring group, cape town, south. South africa south africa reconstruction, union, and segregation 190229.
What is the particular type of processor model and operating system on which a computer is based called. The mineral revolution has changed social impacts and interactions, as before the diamonds south africa had no major source of mineral income or trade. It began the transformation of sa from an agrarian country that was fragmented into a unified industrial nation. South africa is one of the most important mining and mineral processing countries in the world. South africa was long infamous for its entrenched system of racial discrimination. The mineral revolution in south africa started with the discovery of diamonds in kimberley in 1867, and intensified with the discovery of deeplevel gold on the witwatersrand in 1886. So reading diamonds, gold, and war introduced me to a lot of people and places, and it got awfully confusing at times. Industrialisation and economic expansion, as well as the effects of the great war, two. What was the impact of mineral revolution in south africa during the period of 1867 and 1914. The economic development of south africa has had a variety of rather spe cial features, reflected in institutions that. Moreover bernstein 1989 defines mineral revolution as rapid industrialization and economic changes which occurred in south africa from 1870s on wards. The political economy of the south african revolution bernard magubane the white man in south african colonies feels that the colony ought to be his and kept up for him, because he, perhaps, with his life in his hand, went forth as a pioneer to spread the civilization of europe and to cultivate the wilds of the worlds surface. The mineral revolution was largely driven by the need to create a permanent workforce to work in the mining industry, and saw south africa transformed from a patchwork of agrarian states to a unified, industrial nation. Wnla was requested to set up a realistic structure to achieve a stable workforce.
Packed with endless amounts of natural resources, the mining industry has turned south africa into one of africa s strongest economies. But it is also unique in the extent to which urbanization, industrialization, and rural transformation have been molded by. Diamond mining in south africa has a large impact on the economy and it is currently sustainable and positive. The fact that the mineral discoveries coincided with a new era of imperialism and the scramble for africa, brought imperial power and influence to bear in southern africa as never before. Farmers in these regions now supplied southern africa s fastest growing cities with food. When looking at the numbers, south africa produces absurd amounts of minerals for the world to use. It kickstarted what historians call the mineral revolution, which made few european opportunists wealthy beyond measure, and saw hundreds of thousands of men leaving their homes to become fulltime mineworkers. Diamonds were initially identified in 1867 in an area adjoining the confluence of the vaal and the orange rivers, just north of the cape colony, although it was not until 1869 to 1870 that. But the centrality of the mineral revolution is sp selfevident that radical south african historiography has a tendency with numerous exceptions to see south. The mineral revolution of south africa effect on the. The mineral revolution of diamonds started in kimberly, south africa in 1867. The 19 th c was a period of revolutionary change in south africa due to mineral revolution.
The national democratic revolution the south african road to socialism without understanding the deeprooted capitalist accumulation path. By their references to the early phases of colonization through to the great trek and its after. The infant state owed its conception to centralizing and modernizing forces generated by mineral discoveries, and its character was shaped by eight years of. The political economy of the south african revolution.
What are the effects of mineral revolution in south africa. Africa ranks 4th in terms of numbers of new type minerals per continen zaire is the most productive source in africa for new minerals, followed by. Mineral discoveries in the 1860s, the 1870s, and the 1880s had an enormous impact on southern africa. Why did britain want to go to war against the boer republics. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining. Above all, diamond mining lias been less important in the economy of south africa than gold mining which has served as the powerhouse of modern enterprise. The mineral revolution transformed the economic, social and polit. According to feinstein 2005 suggested that before the coming of foreigners especially the holland the population size was about 1,500,000 but a century later the number of growth up to 4,000,000 settlement of these people in south africa on the large scale differentiate south africa and the rest of africa hence begin of mineral revolution. Diamonds were initially identified in 1867 in an area. The mineral revolution south africa table of contents mineral discoveries in the 1860s, the 1870s, and the 1880s had an enormous impact on southern africa. One social impact of diamond mining in south africa is poor safety.
View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. A perspective on the south african mining industry in the. Gold mining, as the economic historians have long pointed out, powered south africas industrial revolution and. Grade 8 topic 2 the mineral revolution in south africa south. In the 1860s and the 1870s, europeans made a number of small finds of their own. The south african war of 18991902 forced every gold mine into a virtual shutdown and led to a lowered demand for black labour and the loss of over 100, 000 jobs a, figure 1. The revolution in south african historiography history today. Uj has been consistently ranked among the top five universities in south africa by the qs world university rankings and the times higher education university rankings systems in the last five years and in 2018 moved up to position number four in south africa. The us geological survey estimated in that as of 2002, south africa held about 50% of the worlds gold resources, and 38% of reserves. Opportunities and challenges facing the south african. M m ining in south africa has been a contentious issue since 15yearold erasmus stephanus jacobs discovered south africa s first diamond, the eureka, in hopetown in 1867. People who work in the mines have poor health and safety systems and there are some deaths caused by this. In conclusion, the mineral revolution had a profound economic, social and political consequence.
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