A history of mining in South Africa (KE)

F F ast forward to the late 20th century, and South African diamonds are still sought after, with an estimated R16-billion worth of the stones sold locally and internationally per year.. Diamond miners were memorialised in the Diggers Fountain, which you can …

Oppenheimer, Ernest | Encyclopedia

Ernest OppenheimerSouth African business leader Ernest Oppenheimer (1880-1957) established what became the modern diamond industry almost single-handedly in the early decades of the 20th century. By gaining control of the large South African mines from which the costly gemstones came, Oppenheimer created an airtight, lucrative cartel that made his family and heirs immensely wealthy.

Blood Diamonds — A South African History | by Lee Ndaba80 ...

This brief history covers just how our blood has paid for white wealth in South Africa. Mining became the cornerstone of the economy until well into …

South Africa - Society - History

By the late 19th century the racial attitudes were hardened and accompanied by the rise of more militant imperialist spirit. At the same time mineral riches were found in the interior of southern Africa. Diamonds were discovered on the Vaal river in the late 1860s and later the site became the largest diamond deposit in the world.

Platinum seen contributing as much to South Africa's ...

Just over a decade ago, in 2006, the PGMs mining industry in South Africa employed over 200 000 people and produced 9.9-million ounces of PGMs, valued at R65-billion, with margins above 30% and ...

Diamonds: A History - CBS News

Diamond production has increased enormously in the 20th century. India's maximum production, perhaps 50,000 to 100,000 carats annually in the …

Prospectors of Namaqualand - South Africa

Fred Cornell was the best known of this generation of fortune-seekers. Remnants of diamond mining in Alexander Bay. He spent 20 years in South Africa and his wanderings took him through most of Namaqualand, the Richtersveld and Namibia. As he went, he kept his eyes open for gold, copper and diamonds, but he didn't report any significant finds.

Diamond Mining South Africa High Resolution Stock ...

19th Century illustration of diamond mining in South Africa. The 1867 discovery of diamonds in the Cape Colony radically modified the world's supply of diamonds. The annual world diamond production increased more than tenfold in the following 10 years, a once extremely rare material became accessible to Western society with its growing wealth.

A history of mining in South Africa (US)

F F ast forward to the late 20th century, and South African diamonds are still sought after, with an estimated R16-billion worth of the stones sold locally and internationally per year.. Diamond miners were memorialised in the Diggers Fountain, which you can …

HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA

The Afrikaans word apartheid ('apartness') is much in evidence after 1948 as a central plank of South African government policy, but it is only another word for the segregation of the races already promoted by Hertzog and accepted by Smuts. The difference in the postwar years, under successive National Party prime ministers (Malan 1948-54, Strijdom 1954-58, Verwoerd 1958-66, Vorster 1966-78 ...

History | South African Government

South Africa's diamond mining industry dates back to 1867, when diamonds were discovered near Kimberley in what is today known as the Northern Cape. The Kimberley diamond fields, and later discoveries in Gauteng, the Free State, and along the Atlantic coast, emerged as major sources of gem-quality diamonds, securing South Africa's position ...

Rough and Polished: South Africa Shortchanged on Diamond ...

The "Crater of Fortune," a section of the great big hole of the De Beers diamond mine, Kimberley, South Africa, early 20th century. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images) Clarity Lacking. Though diamonds are valued by their clarity, the same cannot be said of South Africa's diamond industry or its largest player, De Beers.

south african diamond mining in the 20th century - SmartTech

south african diamond mining in the 20th century. Prospectors established in 1886 the existence of a belt of gold-bearing reefs 40 miles (60 km) wide centred on present-day Johannesburg. The rapid growth of the gold-mining industry intensified processes started by the diamond boom: immigration, urbanization, capital investment, and labour migrancy.

Uncut Diamonds Gathered by Five Different Mines in Two ...

The city of Kimberley was established after diamonds were discovered on local farms in 1869-71. In the last quarter of the 19th century it became the diamond-mining center of South Africa and a focal point in the struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the country.

History of Gold in South Africa - The Diamond Works

Later, more gold mines were discovered further south and east of South Africa, extending for miles underground resulting in 'an endless treasure of gold'. Gold mining very quickly became the largest and most important part of the South African economy. Throughout much of the early 20th century, the gold mining industry continued to grow ...

LATIN AMERICA: Renewed interest in diamond sector - The ...

Aware of demand, mining companies are tapping Brazil and Paraguay for their diamond deposits, reactivating an industry that was overshadowed …

All About the Kimberley Diamond Mine in South Africa

Kimberley, South Africa, is home to the world's largest diamond mine, also known as the "Big Hole.". Dug by humans and so large it is visible from space, the pit has yielded some of the world's largest diamonds and made the De Beers name famous worldwide. At Kimberley visitors can view a 17-minute movie about the location and the ...

History of Gold in South Africa - The Diamond Works

Later, more gold mines were discovered further south and east of South Africa, extending for miles underground resulting in 'an endless treasure of gold'. Gold mining very quickly became the largest and most important part of the South African …

As South Africa clings to coal, a struggle for the right ...

In the first half of the 20th century, the state-owned utility, Eskom, used coal to provide low-cost electricity to gold and diamond mining operations. ... used coal to provide low-cost ...

South-African-Mines - Mining Artifacts

Mining in South Africa has been the main driving force behind the history and development of Africa's most advanced and richest economy. Large scale 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.

A history of mining in South Africa (ZA)

F F ast forward to the late 20th century, and South African diamonds are still sought after, with an estimated R16-billion worth of the stones sold locally and internationally per year.. Diamond miners were memorialised in the Diggers Fountain, which you can …

Gold and Diamond Mining in Guyana - Gold Mining in South ...

Alluvial mining has been conducted on a commercial scale for hundreds of years and for many years in the 20th century produced the most diamonds in the world. Both diamonds and gold in the alluvial deposits come close to the surface, therefore considerably heavy equipment is not required.

Roots of Apartheid: South Africa's Mining Industry

modern mining industry emerged as the major shaper of South Africa's economy and race relations in the latter half of the 19 th century. Important diamond deposits were discovered at Kimberley in 1869.

Grade 8 - Topic 2 - The Mineral Revolution in South Africa ...

Background and Focus of Grade 8- Term 2: The Mineral Revolution in South Africa. The Mineral Revolution in South Africa started with the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley in 1867, and intensified with the discovery of deep-level gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886. By the time that gold was discovered, African kingdoms had lost their independence.

A Perspective on the South African Mining Industry in the ...

transformation of South Africa from an essentially agricultural to a modern industrial economy. Mining − embracing numerous other minerals too, in which South Africa has an exceptional geological endowment − remained at the heart of the economy in the 20th century.

History of mining in South Africa: The key events ...

This brief history covers just how our blood has paid for white wealth in South Africa. Mining became the cornerstone of the economy until well into …

south africa- diamond mining in the 19th and 20th century ...

Mining industry of South Africa – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Mining in South Africa has been the main driving force … much of the early 20th century, …diamond strike of 1868, South Africa has been a world … »More detailed

History of South Africa (1815–1910) - Wikipedia

The early 19th century saw a time of immense upheaval relating to the military expansion of the Zulu kingdom. Sotho-speakers know this period as the difaqane ("forced migration"); while Zulu-speakers call it the mfecane ("crushing").. The full causes of the difaqane remain in dispute, although certain factors stand out. The rise of a unified Zulu kingdom had particular significance.

History of mining in South Africa: The key events ...

This trend would characterise later generations of South African mining. Coal mining continued to expand until the turn of the 20th century, with deposits at Vereeniging and Witbank exploited from 1879 and 1895, respectively fuelling the …

The History of De Beers and Diamonds - Business Insider

But the diamond rush that began in South Africa in the second half of the 19th century flooded the market with diamonds, which, as any good businessman knows, kills demand.