GRADE 8

History- Term 2

Natural minerals like diamonds coal and all sorts were discovered in SA. SA became very wealthy
from the discovery of minerals.

KEYWORDS/ DEFINITIONS:

-Minerals: Natural resources eg. gold, diamonds coal etc.

-Closed compounds: A place were miners lived while they were working on the mines

-Migrant labour: When people move away from home in search of work

-Unite: The joining together of various groups

-Mineral Revolution: Is the complete changed that happened in SA with the discovery of minerals eg
diamonds, gold etc.

-Claims: Strips of land

-Pass system: A law that required black migrant miners to carry a form of identification

-Passive resistance: Protests without violence

-Propaganda: The organized spread of information

-African Nationalism: A political movement for a unified Africa

- Native Land Act 1913: A law passed by parliament aimed at regulating the purchase of land by black
people

-Uitlander: An Afrikaans word used for foreigner given to the British who came to the Transvaal in
1886

-Volksraad: The government of the Transvaal

-Randlords: Businessmen who controlled the gold and diamond industry in SA

-Magnates: Wealthy and influential people

-Passive resistance: Protests without violence

-Reserves: Name for rural areas

Satyagrahi: A Hindu word referring to a person who has dedicated him or himself to truth and who
will stand by it without using violence

-Satyagraha: Non-violent resistance

-Anglo: British

-Boer: Afrikaner

-Erosion: Something that is gradually worn away

-Legislation: Laws

DIAMOND MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA:

-The discovery of diamonds was a turning point in SA. The country changed from an agricultural
country to a capitalistic, industrialised economy. Known as the Mineral Revolution.

-First diamond was discovered in Hopetown in 1867.

-News of the discovery spread all over the world and fortune-seekers from Australia, America and
Britain joined the diamond rush.

-1871 diamonds were found on a farm owned on a farm owned by Deiderik de Beer.

-This was followed by a discovery of diamonds in a little hill called Colesburg Kopje.

-Diggers were given a small portion of land called a claim.

-The diggers began to dig, so many diggers that the walls collapsed, resulting in the largest man-
made hole called the Kimberley Big Hole.

-There were a lot of problems on the diamond fields: Lack of fresh water and fresh vegetables, lack
of houses, very little food, quarrels, no sanitary or medical services, the heat was terrible and there
were dust storms.

*Do Activity 1.15

-Wealth from diamonds financed gold mining in the Witwatersrand in 1886.

-The British needed a steady supply of black labour, they had to work very hard and carry passes.

-Cecil John Rhodes managed to get financial backing from Britain and he bought out Barney Barnato
and formed the De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited. Cecil John Rhodes now owned the mining
company.

-He now controlled the price of Diamonds.

*Do Activity 1.16

*Do Activity 1.17

UNIT 1

INCREASED CONTROL OVER THE BLACK WORKERS:

-The mine owners did not like their workers coming and going as they pleased, they wanted a
reliable permanent labour force. They set up a system of contracts.

Why were closed compounds formed?

-Closed compounds were formed to control workers

CLOSED COMPOUNDS:
-About half the diamonds that were mined were being stolen and traded illegally.

-Mine officials had tried to prevent theft by making workers take off all their clothes to be searched.

-To solve this problem closed compounds were started.

-A large square building was built with a central courtyard.

-Workers were forced to live in the compounds for 6 months. No-one was allowed to town.

-The compound had its own shop and health clinic.

-Workers were searched each time they returned from work.

-There were many problems eg. overcrowding, disease, malnutrition, unhealthy sanitation fighting
and boredom.

-By 1889 10 00 workers in Kimberley lived in closed compounds.

MIGRANT LABOUR:

-Another way to control the miners was through the contract system. This was in addition to the
pass system.

-An agent was sent to the tribal areas to attract young men to come and work on the mines.

-They were promised food, accommodation, free beer and wages.

-Migrant workers left their families, who were not allowed to go with them, they were forced to live
in the compounds

-The whole tribal way of life was destroyed.

-The women were not able to manage the subsistence farms, leading to povety.

*Do Activity 2.1

AFRICAN KINGDOMS:

-SA became very NB to the British Empire, they wanted to unite the country into a wealthy, modern,
capitalistic, industrial society.

-They forcibly disposed the black people of their land.

-Bitter wars resulted, which the British won. This laid the foundations of racial segregation.

-Black nations were forced to become migratory labourers and servants.

WAR AGAINST THE XHOSA:

-Ciskei

-1878

-4 000 Xhosa died and 45 000 cattle were taken

-The British took control of the Xhosa land

WAR AGAINST THE ZULU:

-1879

-King Cetshwayo did not want to fight

-1879 the British invaded Zululand from 3 directions

-The Zulu attacked the British at Isandlwana, killing 950 British and 850 Zulus

-The Zulu were beaten after the Battle of Ulundi

-King Cetshwayo was captured and imprisoned in Cape Town

-Zululand became part of the British Colony of Natal

*Do Activity 2.2

PEDI:

-East of the Transvaal

- Chief Sekhukhune pays taxes

-British won and took control of their land.

The Xhosa the Zulu and now the Pedi were dispossessed of their independence and land.

*Do Activity 2.3

NB- Primary Source=data, photo’s, records, news

-Secondary Source=diaries, about the primary

GOLD MINING ON THE WITWATERSRAND:

(Answer the following questions in your notebooks and learn)

DISCOVERY OF GOLD:

-Gold was discovered in the Eastern Transvaal, known as Mpumalanga today

-George Harrison discovered gold in some rocks on a farm called Langlaagte.

-News spread about the discovery and a “Gold rush” soon began to the White Waters Ridge, became
known as the Witwatersrand.

-Randlords or mine owners were to control the gold production.

-Big companies were formed.

-Mining magnates or Randlords owned the companies and became very wealthy

-Mining magnates were Cecil John Rhodes, Barney Barnato, Alfred Beit and J.B Robinson.

-Pres. Paul Kruger was happy with the discovery of gold in SA, but resented the greedy “Uitlanders”
who came in their hundreds to Johannesburg.

*Do Activity 2.5

-Gold was mined in two ways eg. Open- pit mining and underground mining.

-The Witwatersrand was one of the greatest deposits in the world.

CONDITIONS UNERGROUND:

-Conditions underground was extremely difficult and very dangerous for the following reasons

1. Temperatures were up to 45 degrees

2. Dampness or flooding

3. Darkness or candlelight

4. Roofs collapsing, causing rockfalls

5. Risks of explosions and fires from poisonous gases like methane

6. Claustrophobia in tiny tunnels

7. Back-breaking work with picks and shovels

8. Constantly breathing in dust or tiny sand particles causing lung diseases

9. Difficulty in breathing, because of poor circulation of air

10. Being trapped under mudslides.

*Do Activity 2.6

RANDLORDS or mining magnets:

-These were extremely wealthy industrialists that were mainly Jewish.

-They were rich enough to own diamond and gold mines

- Randlords were Cecil John Rhodes, Barney Barnato and 30 others

-They controlled the mining industry

-Two of the important mine companies were Rand Mines and Consolidated Gold Fields

-These Randlords were used to the very best, they held parties and played croquet

-A famous Architect designed, Sir Herbert Baker, designed all their mansions in Parktown and
Westcliff in Johannesburg, far from the mine’s pollution.

THE CHAMBER OF MINES:

-Was formed in 1887

-It represented 21 mines

-Its aim was to serve the interests of the mine owners

-Make a profit by cutting the costs of labour

-First President was Hermann Eckstein

RESULT

-Randlords had lots of money

-They used their power to tell President Paul Kruger what to do or move away

-A bitter struggle for power between President Kruger and the Randlord went on for 12 years
resulting in the Anglo-Boer War.

MIGRANT WORKERS:

-Agents were sent out to the rural areas

-They would lie about the” wonderful life” in Johannesburg

-Workers had to sign a contract with fixed wages

-The workers could not leave before the end of their contract. It was a criminal offense to break
the contract

-Workers had to live in compounds that were overcrowded and unhygienic

-The pass system was introduced

INCREASED BURDEN ON WOMEN IN THE RESERVES AND EROSION OF FAMILIES:

1. Men migrate to the big cities to find work

2. Woman are left alone in the rural areas when the men migrated to the cities
3. Poor farming methods led to low crop yields
4. Women then also seek work in cities, leaving the children with the elderly
5. Men establish new homes in urban areas
6. The migrant system broke up families and destroyed the old tribal traditions and culture
7. The curse of poverty became part of rural life

*Do Activity 2.9. Number 2. Draw and the Circle of Poverty into your notebooks

SKILLED AND UNSKILLED WHITE WORKERS:

-Where did they come from?

-Why did the Chamber of mines not want to use unskilled white workers?

ANTI-INDIAN LEGISLATION:

-Name the 2 Indian groups

-Why did the white people in Natal fear them?

-What were the laws that were brought in against the Indians

*Do Activity 2.10

FORMS OF LABOUR RESISTANCE:

-John Jabavu: A teacher started his own newspaper to protest against the grievances that the
black people had against the pass laws.

-Mahatma Gandhi: (An Indian lawyer) led an Indian labour protest. He organised a meeting and
decided on a policy of passive resistance called Satyagraha (non-violent resistance)
-The Uitlanders: protested against Pres. Kruger and his government, because they wanted voting
rights if the TVL. Protest in the form of rallies, invasions etc. Protests went on until the Anglo-
Boer War in 1889, also known as the SA War.

*Read City of Johannesburg and Activity 2.12. Sources C, D and E. Then write a page of
describing early Johannesburg. Your essay should include words like- drinking, dangerous,
dancing, divided, depressing, dusty, demented, developed, wealthy people, Jewish people etc.

UNIT 3

THE MINERAL REVOLUTION AS A TURNING POINT IN SA HISTORY:

KEYWORDS/Definitions:

-Guerrilla warfare: Quick surprise attacks by smaller groups

-Concentration camps: Guarded prison camps

-Exiled: Sent out of the country

-Republic: Country ruled by an elected parliament with no monarch

-Monarch: King or Queen

-Revolution: Complete change

SHIFTING POWER:

1. Defeat of the Boer Republics 1902

-What we already know- During the 1800 Britain was the most Industrialised country in the
world, many factories and inventions

-We also know that in the 1800’s SA was not a country as we know it today

-SA was made up of 2 Boer Republics, 2 British Colonies and many African Kingdoms

*Refer to Map of SA in 1860

-Gold had been found in the TVL (Boer Republic) and the British wanted the gold for their
industries in Britain

-Tension broke out between the Boer and the British and the OFS sided with the Boers

-War eventually broke out between the British and the Boers. Known as the Anglo-Boer War

-The British had large forces and the Boers were small, so the Boers were forced to use “guerilla
warfare”, which the Boers were winning.

-The British reacted by burning Boer farms and putting Boer women and children into
concentration camps

-Concentration camps were terrible: poor shelters (tents), lack of medicine, food, blankets and
water. Thousands died

-Boers put up a fierce fight, which the British eventually won.

*Refer to table

-Boers were left with bitter hatred toward the British, which lasted for generations

2. African Political Organisation

-Abdullah Abdurahman, a Dr, formed this organization

-Protested for the rights of coloured people

-He used speeches and letters to government to protest

3. Transvaal Indian Congress 1903

-Protesting against the discriminatory laws against the Indians

-Followed by the policy of Satyagarah (non-violent resistance)

-Mass demonstrations

4. Bhambatha Rebellion

-Bhambatha was a Zulu Chief

-British wanted the Zulu men to go to the mines, so they could pay taxes

-War broke out between the Zulu and the British

-The British guns were too much for the Zulu spears

-Ended with tragic results- Refer to table

5. Union 1910

-The Boer Republics and the British colonies joined together, to form the Union of SA

-The first Prime Minister of the Union was an Afrikaner, Louis Botha.

-Motto: Unity is strength

*Do Activity 2.13

6. The formation of the SA Native Congress 1912

-Black people had NO political rights

-The SANNC was formed, later was known as the ANC

- The President was John Dube who was a minister and a teacher

-They favoured a policy of gentlemanly protest, this was taking grievances to parliament