African Mine Workers Research Articles

Of Compounds and Cellblocks: The Foundations of Violence in Johannesburg, 1890s–1950s

The brutalising nature of the gold mining industry that employed the majority of black male workers, in concert with the incarceration of African men on a massive scale, established the foundation for a violent society in Johannesburg's early decades. African mineworkers were exposed to and participated in supervisory abuse, faction fights and gang activity. The enforcement of racial legislation that cycled hundreds of thousands of men through the prison system further cultivated the violence that plagued Johannesburg's townships. In addition to the routine deprivation of prison life, inmates were housed in communal cells dominated by predatory gangs. African men moved regularly between the mine compounds, penal institutions and residential areas. This article utilises the stories of two men active in criminal societies to explore the dynamics of violence in this interlinked world.

The risk of asbestos exposure in South African diamond mine workers

ObjectivesAsbestos is associated with South African diamond mines due to the nature of kimberlite and the location of the diamond mines in relation to asbestos deposits. Very little is known...

The Risk of Asbestos Exposure in South African Diamond Mine Workers

Asbestos is associated with South African diamond mines due to the nature of kimberlite and the location of the diamond mines in relation to asbestos deposits. Very little is known about the health risks in the diamond mining industry. The objective of this study was to explore the possibility of asbestos exposure during the process of diamond mining. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis were used to identify asbestos fibres in the lungs of diamond mine workers who had an autopsy for compensation purposes and in the tailings and soils from three South African diamond mines located close to asbestos deposits. The asbestos lung fibre burdens were calculated. We also documented asbestos-related pathological findings in diamond mine workers at autopsy. Tremolite-actinolite asbestos fibres were identified in the lungs of five men working on diamond mines. Tremolite-actinolite and/or chrysotile asbestos were present in the mine tailings of all three mines. Mesothelioma, asbestosis, and/or pleural plaques were diagnosed in six diamond mine workers at autopsy. These findings indicate that diamond mine workers are at risk of asbestos exposure and, thus, of developing asbestos-related diseases. South Africa is a mineral-rich country and, when mining one commodity, it is likely that other minerals, including asbestos, will be accidentally mined. Even at low concentrations, asbestos has the potential to cause disease, and mining companies should be aware of the health risk of accidentally mining it. Recording of comprehensive work histories should be mandatory to enable the risk to be quantified in future studies.

Psychosocial and behavioural correlates of attitudes towards antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a sample of South African mineworkers

Despite being one of the worst affected sectors in South Africa, the mining sector has proven to be one of the most active in intervention efforts in the fight against HIV and AIDS (Ellis, 2007). Owing to low uptake rates of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in mining companies in recent years (Connelly & Rosen, 2006) and the positive relationship between attitudes towards ART and ART uptake (Cooper et al., 2002; Horne, Cooper, Gellaitry, Leake, & Fisher, 2007), this study sought to describe and investigate the psychosocial and behavioural correlates of attitudes towards ART in a sample of South African mineworkers. A total of 806 mineworkers from a large South African mine participated in this quantitative study. Despite a high rate of HIV testing behaviour (83.0%) as well as favourable attitudes towards ART, analysis indicated that temporary employees and contractors were more vulnerable in terms of HIV risk, HIV testing behaviours and ART knowledge and attitudes. Employees who had more positive attitudes towards ART were more knowledgeable of ART and, importantly, had a more favourable attitude towards the mine's HIV/AIDS treatment programme. These findings are discussed in relation to the low ART uptake rates in this context and recommendations for the improvement of ART uptake amongst employees at this mining site.

Fables of death: Law, race and representations of African mine workers in Umteteli Wa Bantu in the 1920s

This article is an attempt to understand the relationship between racist regimes and the representational strategies that went into the insertion of black bodies into specified economies of labour in early twentieth century South Africa. I take as my primary focus the cartoon narratives depicting African mine workers in the newspaper Umteteli Wa Bantu in the 1920s. The pictorial narratives constructed by the cartoons are instructive for they indicate an instance in which the transformation of the black body into a moral sign was tied to the larger terrain of the political economy.

Changes in the patterns of sexually transmitted infection among South African mineworkers, associated with the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

To study temporal changes in the relative prevalence of STI syndromes and the aetiology of genital ulcer disease (GUD) among migrant mineworkers in a goldmining area in South Africa during the period 1992 - 2000 and to explore the epidemiological synergy and interactions between these conventional STIs and the emergence of HIV infection. The records of all STI patients presenting with new episodes of STI seen at a dedicated STI clinic in the Carletonville area, near Johannesburg, between 1992 and 2000 were reviewed and analysed. In addition, crosssectional studies to determine the aetiology of genital ulcerations were conducted. During the study period, 36 686 new STI episodes were treated at the clinic with a mean annual STI incidence rate of 137.4 per 1 000 miners. The STI incidence remained high throughout the period 1994 - 1999. A total of 35 789 HIV tests were performed during the study period; the overall HIV prevalence was 35.3%. Between 1986 and 1994, the relative prevalence of genital herpes rapidly increased among GUD patients co-infected with HIV: 0% in 1986, 4.7% in 1990 and 20.8% in 1994. Syndromic and microbiological surveillance indicates that there was a high incidence of non-herpetic genital ulcerations among miners during the early phase of HIV epidemic. This sustained high incidence of GUDs was followed by a rapid increase in HIV prevalence and changes in the aetiology of the STI syndrome.

Trauma-Related Risk Factors in Mineworkers with PTSD: A Prospective Follow-Up Study

The aim of this prospective follow-up study was to investigate the role of trauma-related factors in the development of acute and chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among South African gold mineworkers involved in disabling and reportable earth-fall mine accidents. A consecutive sample of 200 mineworkers who were involved in earth-fall mine accidents was evaluated over a period of seven months. A history of previous trauma exposure was associated with both acute and chronic PTSD. Injury severity predicted acute PTSD but could not differentiate between subjects with acute PTSD that developed chronic PTSD and those whose symptoms went into remission. The intensity and severity of the precipitating earth-fall event were associated with acute and chronic PTSD. Being pinned down by rocks was the earth-fall-related event that predicted chronic PTSD most accurately. The intensity of the traumatic earth-fall event was found to be a more significant predictor for acute PTSD than previous exposure to trauma. Based on these results, recommendations were made to manage trauma in the mining sector.

Cape Plc: South African mineworkers' quest for justice.

Communities in South Africa, especially those in Limpopo and Northern Cape, have been decimated by the mining operations of Cape Plc. South African victims of asbestos-related disease have only recently begun to be awarded (modest) compensation settlements through litigation, as a result of collective efforts on their behalf. The tortuous case of Cape, which knowingly exposed thousands of innocent people, especially black workers, to damaging environmental concentrations of asbestos, is detailed. After fierce and prolonged skirmishing in the courts, a decision in favor of the claimants allowed the case to be tried in the English High Court. Cape reached a settlement agreement with the claimants in 2001, but was unable to meet its terms. Renewed litigation in 2002 resulted in the signing of three new settlement agreements in 2003. These have yet to be put into effect, but it is hoped that the recent developments represent a turning point in the fortunes of South African asbestos victims.

Patterns of lung diseases in former mine workers of the former Republic of the Transkei: an X-ray-based study.

The Transkei is one of two regions from which a majority of South African mine workers used to be recruited, and the destination to which many return. The study was done to determine the prevalences of lung diseases in these ex-workers, links between these diseases and age, links between diseases and duration of mining, and the association between silicosis and tuberculosis. It was done in Umtata General Hospital. Participants' (n = 300) ages ranged from 35 to 66+ years (mean 51.6). Durations of mining ranged from < 1 to 31+ years. 29/300 X-rays (9.6%) were unreadable; 59 (21.8%) were disease-free; and 212 (78.2%) showed lung abnormalities. Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) with or without silicosis was evident in 64.2% of the x-rays, silicosis with or without PTB in 34%, COPD in 7%, and asbestosis in 1.5%. The relative risk for tuberculosis was 5.08 (2.58-9.88) for men with silicosis compared with others, p < 0.01. The extremely high burden of lung disease in ex-mine workers places enormous challenges on health service delivery systems and compensation authorities.

HIV-1 and recurrence, relapse, and reinfection of tuberculosis after cure: a cohort study in South African mineworkers

The proportion of recurrent tuberculosis cases attributable to relapse or reinfection and the risk factors associated with these different mechanisms are poorly understood. We followed up a cohort of 326 South African mineworkers, who had successfully completed treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis in 1995, to determine the rate and mechanisms of recurrence. Patients were examined 3 and 6 months after cure, and then were monitored by the routine tuberculosis surveillance system until December, 1998. IS6110 DNA fingerprints from initial and subsequent episodes of tuberculosis were compared to determine whether recurrence was due to relapse or reinfection All patients gave consent for HIV-1 testing. During follow-up (median 25.1 months, IQR 13.2-33.4), 65 patients (20%) had a recurrent episode of tuberculosis, a recurrence rate of 10.3 episodes per 100 person-years at risk (PYAR)-16.0 per 100 pyar in HIV-1-positive patients and 6.4 per 100 pyar in HIV-1-negative patients. Paired DNA fingerprints were available in 39 of 65 recurrences: 25 pairs were identical (relapse) and 14 were different (reinfection). 93% (13/14) of recurrences within the first 6 months were attributable to relapse compared with 48% (12/25) of later recurrences. HIV-1 infection was a risk factor for recurrence (hazard ratio 2.4, 95% CI 1.5-4.0), due to its strong association with disease caused by reinfection (18.7 2.4-143), but not relapse (0.58; 0.24-1.4). Residual cavitation and increasing years of employment at the mine were risk factors for relapse. In a setting with a high risk of tuberculous infection, HIV-1 increases the risk of recurrent tuberculosis because of an increased risk of reinfection. Interventions to prevent recurrent disease, such as lifelong chemoprophylaxis in HIV-1-positive tuberculosis patients, should be further assessed.

Asbestos lung fibre concentrations in South African chrysotile mine workers

Mesothelioma has not been found in South African chrysotile miners and millers despite decades of producing about 100000 tons of the mineral per year. One possible explanation for the scarcity or absence of the cancer may be a relative lack of contaminating fibrous tremolite, an amphibole that variably occurs with chrysotile ores. The fibre content in the lungs of nine former chrysotile mine workers was ascertained by transmission electron microscopy. Despite fairly long service in most cases (median 9.5 yr; range 32-4 yr) the concentrations of chrysotile fibres were relatively low: only two cases exceeded 1.14 million fibres/g dried lung. Tremolite fibre levels were even lower: less than 1 million fibres/g dried lung in all but one case. Tremolite fibre concentrations exceeded those of chrysotile in only two cases. These results support the contention that South African chrysotile is not heavily contaminated by tremolite.

Asbestos lung fibre concentrations in South African chrysotile mine workers

Mesothelioma has not been found in South African chrysotile miners and millers despite decades of producing about 100 000 tons of the mineral per year. One possible explanation for the scarcity or absence of the cancer may be a relative lack of contaminating fibrous tremolite, an amphibole that variably occurs with chrysotile ores. The fibre content in the lungs of nine former chrysotile mine workers was ascertained by transmission electron microscopy. Despite fairly long service in most cases (median 9.5 yr; range 32–4 yr) the concentrations of chrysotile fibres were relatively low: only two cases exceeded 1.14 million fibres/g dried lung. Tremolite fibre levels were even lower: less than 1 million fibres/g dried lung in all but one case. Tremolite fibre concentrations exceeded those of chrysotile in only two cases. These results support the contention that South African chrysotile is not heavily contaminated by tremolite.

Exposures to Legionella pneumophila and Chlamydia pneumoniae in South African Mine Workers.

Exposures of South African mine workers to Legionella pneumophila and Chlamydia pneumoniae were studied over a period of six months. Seroprevalence data were compared with data from a group of factory workers. Antibodies to L. pneumophila serogroups 1-4 were demonstrated in 36% of the mine workers and 10% of the factory workers (p < 0.0001). Seroconversion occurred in 18% of the mine workers during the study period. Antibodies to C. pneumoniae were present in 66% of the mine workers and 22% of the factory workers (p < 0.0001). Seroconversion was demonstrated in 17% of the mine workers during the six months of follow-up. A significant association between the presence of respiratory symptoms and seroconversion was demonstrated (p < 0.025). The data suggest that mine workers are at increased risk for infections with L. pneumophila and C. pneumoniae. Legionella pneumophila; Chlamydia pneumoniae; mine workers; factory workers; risk factors; seroprevalence; seroconversion

‘Money with Dignity’: Migrants, Minelords and the Cultural Politics of the South African Gold Standard Crisis, 1920–33

This paper takes as its point of departure a simple fact that has gone largely unnoticed in the historical and ethnographic literature of migrant mine labour: prior to 1933 mineworkers were paid in gold. It is argued that the ideas and practices associated with the control and transmission of metallic money were at the heart of the experience of migrant labour before the crisis and formed a major part of the self-definition of migrant gold miners during the 1920s. Moreover, both the practices and ideas of African mineworkers were reciprocally linked to the global political struggles taking place over the gold standard. From the First World War to the Christmas of 1932, the South African and Imperial states and mining capital were involved in a controversy over the form of the South African and international money supplies. Whilst in appearance an abstract and mysterious debate, the contest over the form of the money supply laid the foundations for a system of value that penetrated into the daily lives and politics of many southern Africans. Chief amongst these were hundreds of thousands of migrant mine-workers. Following from this, the paper posits a re-interpretation of the gold standard crisis. The turning point that coincided with the new year of 1933 was not merely an economic change; it constituted a major transformation of the form, value, velocity and politics of money throughout Southern Africa. Coincidently, the crisis was an economic and cultural transition for the mining industry itself and marked a dramatic re-definition of the terms of economic conflict between workers and managers. Finally, this paper calls for a new periodization of capitalist development in Southern Africa that meshes together the cultural and economic dimensions of historical processes in a manner that foregrounds the experience of the African working class.

Knowledge and attitudes of a group of South African mine workers towards noise induced hearing loss and the use of hearing protective devices

The study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitudes of a group of mine workers regarding noise induced hearing loss and the use of hearing protective devices. These aims were investigated via a questionnaire administered in a group setting to 55 underground mine workers. The main finding that emerged from the study was that respondents were poorly informed regarding the fact that noise was a health hazard. Furthermore, the knowledge that respondents did possess, appeared to have been derived from the personal experience of working in noisy environments for many years, rather than from educational input. Contrary to expectations, respondents did not view deafness as a status symbol but rather as a negative attribute. Consequently, they were motivated to protect themselves from hearing impairment and to be educated about hearing and the effects of noise. The mine workers complained about discomfort when wearing hearing protective devices as well as feelings of insecurity due to inhibition of communication and the inability to hear warning signals. For these reasons, noise protection was mainly worn in situations perceived as noisy by workers themselves. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the clinical practice of audiology; hearing conservation in the mining industry; further research; and the training and education of speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

The Invention of the ‘Tropical Worker’: Medical Research and the Quest for Central African Labor on the South African Gold Mines, 1903–36

In 1903 the South African mining industry began recruiting African labor from Central Africa in order to shore up their labor supplies. From the outset, Central African recruitment was problematic, for Central African mine workers died at very high rates. The primary source of Central African mortality was pneumonia. In response to this high mortality the Union government threatened to close down Central African recruitment, a threat which they carried out in 1913. From 1911 to 1933, the mining industry fought to maintain, and then after 1913 to regain access to Central African labor. Of central importance in this struggle were efforts to develop a vaccine against pneumonia. While the mine medical community failed to produce an effective vaccine against pneumonia, the Chamber of Mines successfully employed the promise of a vaccine eventually to regain access to Central African Labor in 1934. The mines achieved this goal by controlling the terrain of discourse on the health of Central African workers, directing attention away from the unhealthy conditions of mine labor and toward the imagined cultural and biological peculiarities of these workers. In doing so the mines constructed a new social category, ‘tropical workers’ or ‘tropicals’. The paper explores the political, economic and intellectual environment within which this cultural construction was created and employed.

Periodic examination of South African mine workers.

Frumkin, Howard MD, MPH; Myers, J. E. BSc, MB, ChB, DTM&H, MD; Bachmann, O. M. MB, ChB Author Information

REGIONAL PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B, DELTA, AND HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS INFECTION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: A LARGE POPULATION SURVEY

Although hepatitis B infection is endemic in southern Africa, a changing epidemiology of the disease has recently been documented in the region. The authors surveyed migrant southern African male mineworkers during 1986 to establish the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and D (delta) infection in their areas of origin. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was tested in 29,312 adult male mineworkers from 18 geographic regions, encompassing the diverse tribal and linguistic groups in the region, as well as in expatriate mineworkers from neighboring southern African countries. The same cohort was also tested for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Selected hepatitis B carriers were also tested for hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), antibody to hepatitis D (anti-HD), and alpha-fetoprotein. The overall prevalence of HBsAg in this survey was 9.9%. However, the prevalence varied from 5.5% to 14% in different ethnic groups. A minority of carriers (4.9%) had replicative hepatitis B infection and were hepatitis B virus DNA-positive. Only 0.6% of tested carriers were anti-HD-positive. Alpha-fetoprotein determinations were abnormal in 1.2% of hepatitis B-positive men. These data show that although chronic hepatitis B infection remains widespread in southern Africa, carrier rates vary significantly from region to region. In contrast, hepatitis D co-infection remains extremely uncommon. These baseline seroprevalence data also establish that HIV infection was, in 1986, a rare infection in the indigenous population of South Africa.

The Effect of Increases in Real Goldmining Wages on the Expenditure Patterns of Rural African Mineworkers

The Effect of Increases in Real Goldmining Wages on the Expenditure Patterns of Rural African Mineworkers

Some investigations into the nature and cause of massive fibrosis (MF) in the lungs of South African gold, coal, and asbestos mine workers.

Samples from fibrotic lung lesions greater than 1 cm in diameter macroscopically (by definition, massive fibrosis; MF) were taken from the lungs of 9 randomly selected post-mortem cases of mine workers all showing a background of a pneumoconiosis. These samples were studied histologically, biochemically, and by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. As controls for the biochemical and X-ray diffraction investigations, nonfibrosed lung tissue was taken from the same specimens. The findings suggest that the higher quartz content may be the primary cause responsible for the MF formation in this series of cases, while other factors such as tuberculosis may play a part according to some relevant literature on MF. Although an area of MF appears macroscopically to be a solid lesion, on microscopy this is not the case and the lesion is composed of dense and sparse collagen bundles and cellular elements.