The 1946 Mine Strike: Black Workers vs Apartheid Before Apartheid
The Story of South Africa: Empire, Apartheid, and Transformation — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
They called it the Rand Autumn Rebellion. In August 1946, over 100,000 black mineworkers walked off the job across the Witwatersrand goldfields, defying the African Mine Workers' Union and the Smuts government. The strike was crushed within days — police opened fire, killing 12, wounding hundreds, and arresting thousands — but it marked a seismic shift. For the first time, black labor power had been wielded on an industrial scale, and the state's brutal response revealed the shape of things to come. This episode follows the strike from its roots in migrant labor compounds to the founding of the African Mine Workers' Union by J.B. Marks, the volatile alliance with the Communist Party and the ANC, and the testimony of strike leader Jacob 'Jake' Nzula. We explore the compound system, the 'pulling-through' technique of graft and control, and how the strike's failure actually hardened the apartheid regime's resolve. But we also look at its legacy: the strike inspired later labor movements, and its suppression helped convince the government that only formal apartheid could ensure white supremacy. Featuring the voices of Chief Albert Luthuli, the Harber family of mine managers, and the archival record of the Lansdowne Commission. #1946MineStrike #AfricanMineWorkersUnion #JBMarks #Witwatersrand #Apartheid #SouthAfricanHistory #LaborHistory #GoldMines #SmutsGovernment #JacobNzula #RandAutumnRebellion #MigrantLabor #CompoundSystem #ANC #CommunistPartySouthAfrica #LansdowneCommission #BlackTradeUnionism #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
