South Africa’s Mining Industry

1. South Africa’s Mining Industry Olivia Burns Soonmin Hwang Austin Baker ShouriGottiparthi RohanMehotra

2. Development and History • 1871 - Diamonds discovered at Kimberly • Attracted substantial capital from British and European banks. • 1886 - Main reef of the gold-bearing corporation was discovered on Langlaagte Farm, near Johannesburg. • Did not set off usual gold rush because money was required to develop deep underground mines. • 1898 - By this time, South Africa outputted 118 metric tonnes of gold, making them the leading producer. • 1913 - The output rose to 280 tonnes after the Boer War

3. Development and History (cont’d.) • South Africa discovered major new extensions to the gold reefs every few decades • 1930’s - ‘West Wits Line’ • 1946-Orange Free State • 1950’s-Evander • 1970-Resources combined to make an output of 1,000 tonnes. • This became hard to maintain. • Costs to put down new shafts to even greater depths became high-priced ($2 billion over seven years). • Output soon began to decline • 1977 - 700 tonnes • 1990 - 605 tonnes • The South African mining industry in 1990 was to restructure itself and to adapt to the fast-changing political landscape at home.

4. How did it work in the 1940’s? • Conditions at many of the mines were terrible • Witwaterstrand • About 309,000 native workers • Six day week on low pay with no overtime • Had to pay for their own bedding and clothing • Workers forced to move to mines • Mostly if not all men • Made to leave family and villages behind • Lived in compounds with other workers • Unions were small and divided until the beginning of the 1940’s • Council of Non-European Trade Unions (CNETU) won some wage raises by 1945

5. 1946 Strike • African Mineworker’s Union • About 76,000 workers • Demands: • Minimum daily wage of 10 shillings • Family housing • Two weeks of paid leave per year • Repeal of War Measure 145 • Made meetingos of 20+ illegal on mine property • Restricted the organization of workers • Was stopped by the government after a week

6. How Does it Work Now? • Items produced • South Africa has the world’s largest reserves of chrome, gold, vanadium, manganese and PGM’s. • Apart from diamonds, uranium, copper, and phosphate, South Africa produces more minerals than any other African country. • Structure of the Mining Industry • mining industry is still predominantly white controlled • People are trying to empower blacks in the industry. • Several black or union owned firms are now beginning to play an important role in the industry. • Not much foreign investment since the country's first democratic elections in 1994 because of: • Minerals legislation • Uncertainty over the economic situation • High crime rate. • Many junior exploration companies are now active in developing several small to medium scale operations, mainly in diamonds, gold and platinum.

7. How Does it Work Now? (cont’d.) • Acid Mine Drainage • Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is currently one of the world's biggest environmental threats, second only to climate change according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. • The toxic effects of exposure to the water (from uranium and other heavy metals) include cancers, birth defects, kidney failure and mental disorders. • There are major Acid Mine Drainage problems in South Africa that are causing many health risks. • especially true in the area of Johannesburg.

8. Mining’s Effects on the Population • White population holds most of the country’s wealth • They owned the major companies for a long time. • Today - whites still control most of the economy • Mining was one of several causes of racism along with colonialism and imperialism • Apartheid (literally "separateness") was a system of racial segregation that was enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.  • Non-white people • prevented from voting • Made to live in separate communities.

10. Bibliography • "Bound to Strike Back | South African History Online." South African History Online. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/bound-strike-back>. • Economy/History." South Africa. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.english-online.at/geography/south- africa/geography-south-africa.htm>.  • "Mining Explained." Mining Journal -. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.mining- journal.com/knowledge/Mining- Explained>. • "Mining in South Africa - Overview." MBendi.com. 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.mbendi.com/indy/ming/af/sa/p0005.htm>. • Moorehead, Monica. "The Great South African Mine Strike of 1946." Editorial. Workers World 29 Aug. 1996. Workers World. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.workers.org/ww/1997/1946strike.html>. • "Prejudice and Discrimination." Simply Psychology. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/prejudice.html>. • "Problems in South Africa." World Map, Map of the World. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/south-africa/society/problems.html>. • South Africa Mine Nationalization ‘closest since End of Apartheid’." South Africa Mine Nationalization 'closest since End of Apartheid' Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://www.mining.com/2011/08/02/mine-ceos-told-south- african- nationalization-closest-since-end-of-apartheid-even-as-police-probe-its-main-proponent/>. • "South Africa – Mining History." GoldAvenueEncyclopaedia. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://info.goldavenue.com/info_site/in_mine/in_min_sa_his.htm>. • "South Africa - Transition 1990-2001." GoldAvenueEncyclopaedia. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://info.goldavenue.com/info_site/in_mine/in_min_sa_trans.htm>.