The Rand Rebellion ( af, Rand-rebellie; also known as the 1922 strike) was an armed uprising of white miners in the
Witwatersrand region of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, in March 1922.
Jimmy Green, a prominent politician in the
Labour Party, was one of the leaders of the strike.
Following a drop in the world price of gold from 130 shillings (£6 10s) per fine troy ounce in 1919 to 95s/oz (£4 15s) in December 1921, the companies tried to cut their operating costs by decreasing wages, and by weakening the colour bar by promoting cheaper black mine workers to skilled and supervisory positions.
History
The rebellion started as a strike by white mine workers on 28 December 1921 and shortly thereafter, it became an open rebellion against the state.
Subsequently the workers, who had armed themselves, took over the cities of
Benoni and
Brakpan
Brakpan is a mining town in the Gauteng province of South Africa.
History
The name Brakpan comes from a small pan on a farm called Weltevreden, which was filled with very brackish water and was probably referred to as the "brakpan," and it was nea ...
, and the
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
suburbs of
Fordsburg
Fordsburg is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region 8. Fordsburg is a residential suburb, although housing numerous shops and factories.
Today, Fordsburg is a major centre of Indian and Pakistani culture, with a larg ...
and
Jeppe.
The young
Communist Party of South Africa
The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...
(CPSA) took an active part in the uprising on grounds of class struggle whilst reportedly opposing racist aspects of the strike, as did the
syndicalists
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of prod ...
. The racist aspect was typified by the slogan; "''Workers of the world, unite and fight for a white South Africa!''" and by several pogroms against blacks.
Several Communists and syndicalists, the latter including the strike leaders
Percy Fisher and Harry Spendiff, were killed as the rebellion was quelled by the
Union Defence Force. The rebellion was eventually put down by "considerable military firepower and at the cost of over 200 lives".
Prime Minister
Jan Smuts
Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...
crushed the rebellion with 20,000 troops, artillery, tanks, and bomber aircraft. By this time the rebels had dug trenches across
Fordsburg Square
Fordsburg Square in Fordsburg is a thriving square that is the site of a flea market was recently known for being run-down. This square in Johannesburg is the location of a battle between striking miners and the South African police, army and air ...
and the air force tried to bomb but missed and hit a local church. However, the army's bombardment finally overcame them.
Lieutenant Colonel Llewellyn Andersson's role in creating the
Union Defence Force (South Africa)
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, commander_title = Chief o ...
was instrumental in crushing the rebellion.
Smuts' actions caused a political backlash, and in
the 1924 elections his
South African Party
nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij
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lost to a coalition of the
National Party and Labour Party.
[ They introduced the Industrial Conciliation Act 1924, Wage Act 1925 and Mines and Works Amendment Act 1926, which recognised white trade unions and reinforced the colour bar. Under instruction from the ]Comintern
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...
, the CPSA reversed its attitude toward the white working class and adopted a new 'Native Republic' policy.
In popular culture
A TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
in 8 episodes produced by the SABC
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...
in 1984 and entitled ''1922'', tells this part of South African history.
In Agatha Christie's ''The Man in the Brown Suit
''The Man in the Brown Suit'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by The Bodley Head on 22 August 1924 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The character Colo ...
'', published in 1924, the Rand Rebellion is mentioned both by name and as a backdrop for the mystery. Christie washes over the specifics and uses the Rebellion as nothing more than a minor inconvenience for her characters.
Bibliography
* Jeremy Krikler, ''Rand Revolt: The 1922 Insurrection and Racial Killings in South Africa'', Jonathan Ball Publishers SA, 2006,
* Wessel Pretorius Visser, ''A History of the South African Mine Workers' Union, 1902-2014'', Edwin Mellen Press
The Edwin Mellen Press or Mellen Press is an international Independent business, independent company and Academic publisher, academic publishing house with editorial offices in Lewiston (town), New York, Lewiston, New York, and Lampeter, Lampete ...
, 2016,
See also
* Benjamin Jennings Caddy
* Jacob van Deventer
* Ernest Glanville
* Cape Mounted Riflemen
The Cape Mounted Riflemen were South African military units.
There were two separate successive regiments of that name. To distinguish them, some military historians describe the first as the "imperial" Cape Mounted Riflemen (originally the ' ...
* Light Horse Regiment
* South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
References
{{Political history of South Africa
1921 protests
1922 protests
Conflicts in 1921
Conflicts in 1922
South African Communist Party
Syndicalism in South Africa
History of South Africa
History of Johannesburg
History of the East Rand
Protests in South Africa
1921 in South Africa
1922 in South Africa
Jan Smuts
Labour disputes in South Africa
Miners' labor disputes
Military operations involving South Africa
Revolutions of 1917–1923