The 1946 African Mineworkers Strike on the Witwatersrand
The Story of South Africa: Empire, Apartheid, and Transformation — Fexingo HistoryPlay episode
Show notes
In August 1946, 70,000 black mineworkers on the Witwatersrand goldfields walked off the job, demanding higher wages and better living conditions. The strike was a watershed moment in South African labor history, uniting workers across ethnic lines and drawing the attention of the nascent African National Congress and Communist Party. The state's brutal response—police baton charges, tear gas, and mass arrests—exposed the racial capitalism that underpinned the mining industry. This episode explores the strike's origins in the compound system, the role of trade unionist J.B. Marks, the solidarity of women in the townships, and the strike's legacy in shaping the anti-apartheid movement. We also examine how the strike intersected with the broader global wave of labor action after World War II, and why it remains a contested memory in South Africa today. #AfricanMineworkersStrike #Witwatersrand #JBMark #1946Strike #SouthAfricanHistory #Apartheid #LaborHistory #Mining #Gold #CompoundSystem #ANC #CommunistParty #TradeUnions #RacialCapitalism #FexingoHistory #SouthernAfrica #WorkerSolidarity #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
