Introduction
§ The
19thc was a period of revolutionary change in South Africa due to
mineral revolution.
§ Encarta
(2009) defines a mineral as a naturally occurring substance that is
mined or extracted from the ground.
§ Revolution
is simply a dramatic change in ideas or practice (Encarta:2009).
What is mineral
revolution now?
§ This
refers to rapid industrialization and economic changes that took
place in South Africa as a result of the discovery of minerals especially
diamonds and gold in the late 19th century.
Background to Mineral
Revolution in South Africa
Ø Even
before the discovery of minerals in 1867, South Africa was already
integrated into capitalist system.
Ø The
Dutch had already settled at Table Bay in 1652 (Mlahagwa: 1989).
Ø By 1860s, there were three main races; the African
people, the Dutch and the British.
Ø The
first mineral discovery was that of diamond at Kimberley in 1867,
under Nicolaas Waterboer.
(John: 1991).
Ø In
1886 gold was discovered at Witwatersrand in Transvaal
(Mlahagwa: 1989).
§ Precious
metals (e.g. silver)
§ Metallic
minerals (copper, chrome, iron, manganese, tin)
v Other
minerals found in South Africa:
§ Non-metallic
minerals (coal, asbestos, limestone, phosphates) (John: 1991).
Ø With
further discoveries, South Africa dramatically changed
socially, economically and politically.
The Situation of South
Africa Before Mineral Revolution
§ John
(1991) points out that
Ø South
Africa had few towns with few people
Ø It
was technologically backward
Ø It
was agriculturally backward
Ø There
were no heavy industries
Ø It
was experiencing financial problems
Ø There
was very small foreign investment
Ø There
was no a unified state
Effects of Mineral
revolution
§ Political
effects
Ø It
influenced the British ambitions to govern the hinterland parts. This resulted into
incorporation of diamond fields at Kimberley by the British. (Mwijage: 2006)
Ø It created enmity between the British
and Boers. Boers had lost their land and interest to the British (Davis:
1973).
Ø It
influenced the introduction of Apartheid policy (in 1948). The
policy separated the people into races (John: 1991)
Ø It
led to imbalance of power between the whites and blacks. Africans
totally lost their independence (Davis: 1973)
Ø It
marked the formation of federation of South Africa by the British
in 1877 (John: 1991).
Social Effects
Ø Cultural
transformation due to cultural contacts. Number of
whites had increased and this affected natives culture (Okoth: 2001).
Ø Increase
of racial segregation. Africans were always mistreated (Davis:1973).
Transvaal was changed
from being agricultural and pastoral to highly industrialized society
Ø It
led to population growth due to immigration. People from nearby places
like Mozambique and Zimbabwe emigrated to South Africa (John: 1991).
Ø Spread
of diseases e.g. lung diseases caused by pollution
from coal mining (John: 1991).
Ø Family
separation. Labor migration separated family members
in various places e.g. Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Angola
Economic Effects
Ø It
reconstructed the economy of South Africa. Agricultural and
pastoral economy was transformed into industrial and commercial economy (Okoth:
2001).
Ø It facilitated the development of transport
system e.g. the Natal and Cape railway linked the borders of Transvaal (Okoth:
2001)
Ø It
led to transformation of Kimberley into important
mining and commercial centre with large population. Other towns like
Johannesburg also grew (Zeleza: 1993).
Ø It
offered employment opportunities. Capital obtained allowed further
investments that offered more jobs (Callinicos: 1980).
Ø Export
trade grew. Harbors
like Cape Town were used for export (Wilson & Ramphele: 1989).
Ø The
rise of South African industrial revolution. Different industries
emerged, e.g. food processing, iron and steel industries (Adhikari: 2005).
Ø It
led to agricultural expansion. Food was needed to feed industrial
workers and miners (Magubane: 1990).
Ø It encouraged labor migration. People
in areas like Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe were attracted to enter South
Africa (Okoth: 2001).
Ø Increase
of land alienation by whites. The whites alienated more land for mining
and agricultural activities. This left Africans landless (Johnstone: 1976).
Ø Emergence
of large mining companies e.g. the De Beer Consolidated Mines Ltd under
Cecil Rhodes in 1880s. Such companies were to extract minerals (John: 1991)
Environmental Effects
§ Loss
of biodiversity. Mining activities destroyed landscapes
and forests leading to loss of wildlife. Water pollution by mining also killed
aquatic organisms e.g. disappearance of waterweeds at Kimberley since 1860s was
due to pollution by chemicals from mining (Makhosezwe: 1990).
§ It
led to deforestation. Large stretches of land had been
cleared to allow mining processes. According to Brian (2005), mining in
South Africa required large areas that were cleared leading to loss of forests
throughout the areas where minerals were extracted hence leaving the land bare.
§ Environmental
pollution. Land, water and air were polluted by wastes
from mines and industries. Chemicals, fumes and solid particles
polluted the environment. For instance, in Transvaal, the dumping of rotten
industrial materials in water canals led to the increase of polluted water (Bernard:
1990)
§ Land
degradation. Harmful materials like chemicals from
mines dumped into land destroyed its quality. The reality is that the
environmental management systems and restoration procedures were not in place (Brian:
2005).
§ Mineral
discoveries marked a turning point of South African history. The interior of
South Africa became so important to the colonialists that the balance of power
was tipped firmly in favor of the whites and the African states were eclipsed.
It was mineral
revolution that transformed South Africa from subsistence economy to commercial
and industrial society.
Social Plugin