South Africa’s migrant labour system

This chapter discusses South Africa's migrant labour system. It traces the history of this labour system from its origins in the diamond mines during the 1870s. It details the organization of labour supply to maintain the monopsonistic power of the Chamber of Mines, which became a central feature of South Africa’s emerging industrial economy; the changing pattern of migrant labour for gold mines during the twentieth century; and the impact of urbanization from 1904–96.