The mineral revolution in South Africa began with the discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886, sparking large-scale mining. This required vast amounts of migrant labor from African territories, attracted by wages needed to pay new taxes or buy goods. Mining spurred urbanization and the emergence of compounds to house workers. Agriculture also commercialized as farms replaced smallholders with wage labor. Infrastructure like railways expanded to transport goods. New laws and wars of conquest helped annex African lands for mining prospects and labor recruitment. The mineral revolution fundamentally reshaped South African demographics, politics, and economy.

1. His 2544
The Mineral Revolution
prepared By Raseala TP

2. 1. Introduction
• Began with the discovery of Diamond in Kimberly in 1867 by Erasmus Jacobs
• Gold had been mined by African societies in Mapungubwe and the Great
Zimbabwe empire but was not in large amounts
• The discovery attracted a large number of prospectors from all over Europe
• Gold was discovered in 1886 in the Witwatersrand (Afrikaans for ‘Ridge of
White Water’)
• A large labour force was required to work the mines- this resulted in what
came to be known as the ‘Gold Rush’
• Major demographic shifts resulted for South African men due to the emerging
industrial-scale mining.

3. Int Cont….
• Labour had been provided by young men from the African territories
or states (like Pedi and Zulu men).
• Labour was attracted from either pull or push factors.
-Push: after the african states were conquered there was either less land
to sustain the livelihoods of the africans or the imposition of taxes which
could only be paid in cash compelled young men to the mines.
- Pull: Young men would travel to the mines to work and earn money to
buy cattle to use as dowry or guns and other materials.
• It was often common that workers would run away from the mines if
their payment was delayed or they didn’t like the conditions
• Very low wages were paid and the living standards in urban areas fell

4. 2. Urbanisation
• The colonial administration and the mining corporations introduced
corporate agents who would travel through African states, offering
men fixed contracts and pre-arranged wages in a wake of attracting
labour to the cities and mines.
• Population density in the cities of johannesburg and kimberly had
skyrocketed as people looked for employment in the cities.
• Corporate compounds were introduced in 1880s
- Workers lived by the terms of their contracts
- Sometimes workers worked in exchange for food, accommodation and
beer
- Compounds were known for diseases, malnutrition and diseases

5. 3. Agriculture
• Urbanization resulted in farms loosing its main labour force
• Demand for food and agricultural produce increased
• Agrarian capitalism emerged in the 1870s
• Large commercial farms bought out small holdings and produced
commercial or cash crops for sales in the cities.
• Tobacco, coffee, sugar and grapes for wines were among the common cash
crops
• Farmers (both black and white) lost their jobs in tens of thousands
• They had to choose between working as wage-labourers on commercial
farms or migrate to the cities to work in the mines
• The rural gentry class replaced the peasantry class

6. 4. Infrastructure
• Railways and ports were constructed to allow the smooth transition of
products from their production areas to the ports for exportation
• The labour force prompted the transport and communication systems
to be improved in an attempt to reconcile the rural areas with the
urban areas.
• The increased requirement for rural produce for consumption in the
cities or urban areas also prompted the transportation system to be up
to standard with the requirements
• Development in the cities also became inevitable and as a results
industrialization was realized.

7. 5. Politics
• Laws such as hut tax and poll tax were introduced
• Young men were compelled to travel to mines to earn money to pay the tax
(as it was only payable in currency only accessible in the mines).
• Wars of Conquest
- The British colony and the Boer Republics were now attempting to annex
African territories in order to incorporate them into their own territories for
purposes of prospects or labour
- in 1876 the Pedi of Sekhukhune defeated the Boers in their mountains
- In 1877-8 the Anglo/British Cape colony defeated the Xhosa people
- In 1879 the Anglo defeated the Zulus of Cetswayo
- In 1880-1 the first Anglo-Boer war ensued, and the Boers were victorius
- In 1899-1902 the South African war/Second Anglo-Boer War ensued

8. 6. Conclusion
• The current state of affairs in South Africa are so as the results of the
Mineral Revolution
• If it wasn’t because of the discovery of minerals that sparked the
interests of prospectors over native territories, perhaps black people
or Africans’ state of landlessness would have been better than the case
today.
• Immigration of white settlers increased drastically after the discovery
of the minerals.
• The level of South Africa’s development in infrastructure compared to
other African states also owes its credit to the mineral revolution