Mineral Revolution in South Africa 8

Question 1

when and what was the mineral revolution

Answer 1

the mineral revolution in SA refers to changes that took place after the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley 1867, and discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand 1886

Question 2

what was the social impact of the mineral revolution in South Africa

Answer 2

Intro -
the gold-mining revolution in SA laid the foundations of racial segregation and the control of white SA’s over black SA’s. in this paper in am going to explore the social impact of the mineral revolution in SA.

Middle -
there was a huge demand for labour in the mines so the SA government introduced taxes that had to be paid. this forced many young men to go and work on the mines and become migrant labourers. these men had to live in compounds for long periods of time while they were away. this lifestyle led to a lot of family erosion. the woman suffered because they had to do their jobs and the men’s jobs.

Conclusion -
the migrant labour system caused the breaking up of multiple families. the mineral revolution had a negative impact on the social well-being of many SA’s