Minerals and Mining in South Africa

Abstract

Mining in southern Africa has a long pre-colonial history. Haematite mining in Swaziland can be traced back more than 40,000 years, iron smelting dates from 400 AD or earlier, and copper from 900 AD. The most iconic evidence for pre-colonial mining are the gold artefacts from MapungubweMapungubwe dated between 1220 and 1300 AD. In 1681, early Dutch colonists became aware of the copper in the Northern Cape and so began the colonial interest in the metals of South Africa. Since then, diamonds were discovered in 1866 with several large stones still being found. Gold was discovered in Barberton in 1884, then in the Johannesburg goldfield in 1886. Both continue to contribute important sources of revenue to the South African economy. Production of platinum metals began from the Merensky Reef in 1926, leading to South Africa now producing 78% of the world's platinum. Other world-class deposits of the modern era include iron from Sishen and manganese from Kuruman.