Grade 8 topic 2 the mineral revolution in south africa. John stewart macarthur and the dingus brothers overcame this by suspending the crushed ore in a cyanide solution. South africas iron ore industry institute for strategy harvard. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading digging deep. An overview of producer services in the mining industry in. Alluvial panning eventually gave way to deeper ore mining. This is to say that draft laws, such as language policy and the denial of the franchise to black south africans, as well as the eventual form the union of south africa were now finalised. Active gold, platinum group metals and coal mines in south africa. Kinross is a small gold mining town in mpumalanga, south africa with four gold mines in the region. Digging at the big hole in kimberley ends, leaving a hole 1. Mining in africa open knowledge repository world bank group.
Click to enlarge mining has been a way of life in south africa ever since the mid 1800s. Transvaal, south africa, and buhwa in southwest zimbabwewhere pebbles of magnetite and hematite, respectively, with iron oxide contents in excess of 90%, 50 januaryfebruary 2000 the journal of the south african institute of mining and metallurgy figure 1map of southern africa showing the principal archaelogical sites mentioned in the text. In 2009, the countrys diamond industry was the fourth largest in the world. In south africa, the discovery of the first platinum nuggets dates back to 1924. Coal mining in south africa coal minings advent in south africa can best be traced to the start of gold mining in the late 19 th century, particularly on the witwatersrand, with the first coal in appreciable tonnages being extracted on the highveld coal field close to the nascent witwatersrand gold mines. Brief history of gold mining in south africa mining for schools. Mining in south africa has been the main driving force behind the history.
The discovery of diamonds in the late 1870s led to expansion of the mines in order to meet the growing demand for coal. Discoveries of gold and diamonds in south africa exceeded those in any other part of the world, and more foreign capital had been invested in south africa than in the rest of africa combined. Prospectors established in 1886 the existence of a belt of goldbearing reefs 40 miles 60 km wide centred on presentday johannesburg. The first modern humans are believed to have inhabited south africa more than 100,000 years ago. This is a short history of africa excluding egypt, ethiopia and dutch and british south africa, which are the subjects of separate histories.
John stewart macarthur and the dingus brothers overcame this by suspending the crushed ore in. Mining in south africa began with chance discovery of a diamond on the banks of the orange river in 1867. South africas prehistory has been divided into two phases based on broad patterns of technology namely the stone age and iron age. The demand for franchise rights for englishspeaking immigrants working on the new goldfields was the pretext britain used to go to war with the transvaal and orange free state in 1899. A perspective on the south african mining industry in the 21st. Soweto itself is not a unitary place but an abbreviation for so uth we stern to wnships, a collection of over 25 townships bordering johannesburgs mining belt to the south, which range from middleclass enclaves to informal settlements. South africas remotenessit lies thousands of miles distant from major african cities such as lagos and cairo and more than 6,000 miles 10,000 km away from most of europe, north america, and eastern asia, where its major trading partners are locatedhelped reinforce the official system of apartheid for a large part of the 20th century. Pdf the history of gold mining and gold trade in southern africa goes back nearly. South african gold mining industry due to their level of market capitalization. Africa is the second largest continent in the world and it has around 30 million km2 of land on its surface.
At the turn of the century, for the first time, south africa had an extremely valuable resource that attracted foreign capital and largescale immigration. As in 2004 the coal and lignite industry of south africa provided over 50,000 jobs and generated nearly r40. Pelgrimsrus is a small museum town in the mpumalanga province of south africa which is protected as a provincial heritage site. In 2009 it looked as though coal would be able to dislodge pgms as the biggest revenue generator. Nevertheless south africa has a mining history of an epic nature. A history of mining in south africa kindle edition by davenport, jade.
The industry provides innumerable jobs and supports thousands of local families. South africa is one of the top five coal exporting countries in the world. Not only has the country given birth to some great mines, and mining houses, these developments have resulted in very strong and innovative engineering and consultancy companies. Mining has been the main driving force behind the history and development of south africas.
In this years edition of state of mining in africa in the spotlight, we take a further look at, and reflect back on, our observations to see how the broad industry is progressing. It was also the decade that saw south african mining forge ahead in its influence on the economy and employment. Digging deep describes the establishment and unparalleled growth of mining, tracing the history of the industry from its humble beginnings where copper was first mined on a commercial basis in namaqualand, in the cape colony, in the early 1850s, to the discovery and exploitation of the countrys other major mineral commodities. Historically, the mining industry in south africa has undertaken its own research. Village on the watershed between the atlantic and indian oceans, between devon and trichardt, 42 km west of bethal, 19 km east of leslie and about 70 km northnortheast of standerton history. South africa began to slow down in the 1880s, as the new deposits being found tended to be pyritic ore and gold could not be extracted from this compound with any of the then available technologies. 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. It is a followon from the state of mining in south africa. Mine water atlas maps are not guaranteed to be free from error or omission. Review of trends in the south african mining industry in 2005, coal and platinum group metals pgms overtook gold as the biggest revenuegenerating commodities. For many african countries mineral exploration and production for export is the key to economic stability and growth. Gold mining in south africa south africas gold industry rising again after more than a century of gold mining in south africa, the us geological surveys latest estimate still ranks south africa as the custodian of the worlds second largest gold resources at 6,000 tonnes second only to australia. During the goldmining revolution, patterns of land and labour were.
The geologist hans merenskys followup work resulted in the discovery of two deposits, each around 100km in length, which became known as the bushveld igneous complex. Platinum and related metals are in a growth phase, with south africa boasting around half or more of world production and reserves. Mining in south africa was once the main driving force behind the history and development of africas most advanced and richest economy. Mining historically, south africa has been a leading global supplier of minerals and mineral products, and it retains an important role in mining and minerals demonstrated by 55 minerals being produced from some 11 mines in 2005. In our study of south african producer services, the recurring difficulty of aggregation and disaggregation of economic sectors has further. The union of south africa 1910 south african history online. Gold mining has, with a brief exception in the early 1980s, for three decades displayed a. During the gold mining revolution, patterns of land and labour were. The demand for sand is escalating at an alarming rate as a result of everincreasing building. Aug 16, 2012 with south africas economy built on gold and diamond mining, the sector is an important foreign exchange earner, with gold accounting for more than onethird of exports. The printed hardcopy or printready a3 atlas in high definition. At the start of the new century, the south african mining cluster is making a rich and.
Created detailed convex polygons of mining applications. Proclaimed a village in december 1915, it acquired municipal status about 1965. History of south africa key figures in south africas. By the time that gold was discovered, african kingdoms had lost their independence. Opportunity lost or light at the end of the tunnel report released in february 20. More than a quarter of the coal mined in south africa is exported and it is the countrys third largest source of foreign income. In 1886, on the farm of langlaagte, the rapidly growing diamond industry was eclipsed by the discovery of gold. Mohatma ghandi coins the term satyagraha to describe south africa s nonviolent movement.
We also follow case studies that, in our view, provide good examples that support. Tholana 6171 mining companies globally are currently facing severe economic and financial challenges. Offshore mining in south africa is also relatively productive. Silver mining in south africa has had a rise and fall life from the 1880s with three significant periods of investment, mining activity and decline.
The primary impacts arise from mining, particularly underground mining, largely because south african coal mines are. But such a black and white reading belies the complex spatial history of townships in south africa. Brief history of gold mining in south africa mining for. In addition to global challenges, the south african. Study of sand mining and related environmental problems along. South africa, the southernmost country on the african continent, renowned for its varied topography, great natural beauty, and cultural diversity, all of which have made the country a favored destination for travelers since the legal ending of apartheid afrikaans. The south african mining industry has been in continuous decline for 2 decades. The south africa act of 1909 could be considered as an empowering of the decisions reached at the national convention of 1908 by the british parliament.
The rapid growth of the goldmining industry intensified processes started by the diamond boom. Apr, 2000 the south african mining industry has been in continuous decline for 2 decades. The comforter, frederick samuel modise, is born in rooiberg in the transvaal province of south africa. Mapping the decision context for the intersection of mining and. Study of sand mining and related environmental problems. Commercial coal mining commenced in the eastern cape near molteno in 1864. In this blog readers will enjoy mining news and other interesting articles about the mining industry. South africa s prehistory has been divided into two phases based on broad patterns of technology namely the stone age and iron age.
Its aim is both to record the state of the art on a specific topic and to. Largescale and profitable mining started with the discovery of a diamond on the banks of the orange river in 1867 by erasmus jacobs and the subsequent discovery and exploitation of the kimberley pipes a few years later. Coal mining on the highveld and its implications for. By 1899 the gold industry attracted investment worth. The flag of republic of south africa was adopted on 27 april 1994. South africa history, capital, flag, map, population. It was the second of the transvaal gold fields, attracting a rush of prospectors in 1873, soon after the macmac diggings started some 5 kilometres 3. The discovery of the witwatersrand goldfields in 1886 was a turning point in south africas history.
We have taken a snapshot view of several mining regions across africa and share some of what is happening with regard to policy, infrastructure and funding. Sep 02, 2016 from across the world, prospectors descended on south africa in search of gold, as we see throngs of prospectors and opportunists starting at mark 02. After the discovery of hominins at taung and australopithecine fossils in limestone caves at sterkfontein, swartkrans, and kromdraai these areas were collectively. The 1970s are best remembered for disco, bellbottoms, and the mesmerising lava lamp. A perspective on the south african mining industry in the. At the premier mine in pretoria, south africa, a 3,106carat diamond is discovered during a routine inspection by the mines superintendent. Investors in aggregate saw a decrease in dividends and market capitalisation after a cautiously optimistic view on a recovery last.
The near shore and shelf environments of the west coast hold rich reserves of minerals, particularly diamonds and in south africa there is an increasing emphasis on offshore diamond mining operations. South africa is the southernmost country on the african continent. South africa was led into the war in support of great britain by louis botha and jan smuts aug 1914. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. However, pgms retained the top spot on the back of a stronger price recovery. The history of coal mining in south africa is closely linked with the economic development of the country. Gold mining in south africa taung gold international limited. A vital industry the mining industry in africa is an important source of earnings for the continent. By the 1880s, the mines around kimberley produced around 95% of the world diamonds. Keywords sand mining, environmental impacts, legislation and regulatory framework, mapping of sand mining sites, management strategies introduction sand mining is a common practice in many rivers and floodplains across south africa. South africa is also a major producer of coal, manganese and chrome. However, trends in productivity in the south african gold mining industry by p. It has a long history of conflict and human rights issues, but it has always been one of the most economically prosperous nations in southern africa due to its coastal location and the presence of gold, diamonds, and natural resources.
In 2003, south africa produced more than 59 different mineral commodities from about 920 mines and quarries, which included 116 diamond, 59 coal, 42 gold, and 21 platinum group metals pgm operations 1 image 1. It replaced the flag that had been used since 1928, and was chosen to represent multiculturalism and ethnic diversity in the countrys new, postapartheid democratic society. From across the world, prospectors descended on south africa in search of gold, as we see throngs of prospectors and opportunists starting at mark 02. All about the kimberley diamond mine in south africa. Some of the history of these countries, however, is naturally mentioned in this history of the rest of africa but is kept to the minimum needed to make the rest comprehensible.