Digging deep: A history of mining in South Africa

Before the advent of its great mineral revolution in the latter half of the 19th century, South Africa was a sleepy colonial backwater whose unpromising landscape was seemingly devoid of any economic potential. Yet lying just beneath the dusty surface of the land lay the richest treasure trove of gold, diamonds, platinum, coal and a host of other metals and minerals that has ever been discovered in one country. It was the discovery and exploitation of first diamonds in 1870 and then gold in 1886 that proved the catalyst to the greatest mineral revolution the world has ever known, which transformed South Africa into the greatest industrialised power on the African continent. Here for the first time is the complete history of South Africas phenomenal mineral revolution spanning a period of more than 150 years, from its earliest commercial beginnings to the present day, incorporating seven of the major commodities that have been exploited. This book 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. However, this is also the story of how mining gave rise to modern South Africa and how it compelled the country to develop and progress the way in which it did. It also incorporates the stories of the visionary men -- Cecil Rhodes, Alfred Beit, Barney Barnato, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Sammy Marks and Hans Merensky -- who pioneered and shaped the development of the industry on which modern South Africa was built.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Prospecting the New Frontier; The Cradle of Commercial Mining; The First Rush; The Era of Diggers Democracy; The Search for a South African El Dorado; The Pilgrims Gold Bonanza; Enter the Mining Magnates; Finding the Golden Arc; The Magnates and the Mother Lode; King of Coal; Consolidation of the Monopoly; Krugers Curse; The Visionary; Toil and Trouble; New Prospects Along the Golden Arc; Powering Industry; Trove of the Bushveld; The Rise of Platinum; The Fission Factor; Conclusion; Index.

About the Author :
Jade Davenport studied at the University of Cape Town and has a MA (cum laude) in Historical Studies. She has worked as a journalist, correspondent and columnist for Mining Weekly since 2005.