How did the Rand Revolt of 1922 end?

The Rand Revolt of 1922, an armed insurrection by white miners in Johannesburg, was suppressed by the South African government under Prime Minister Jan Smuts.1

Following a general strike triggered by the Chamber of Mines' plan to replace semiskilled white workers with lower-paid Black laborers, the conflict escalated into a full-scale uprising. Strikers organized into commandos and seized control of the city. The revolt ended after the government deployed 20,000 troops, utilizing artillery and aircraft to bombard the strikers into submission.12

The intense conflict resulted in more than 200 deaths, including 30 Black individuals murdered by strikers. The broader struggle between white unions and employers was eventually addressed through the passage of the Industrial Conciliation Act in 1924, which established new state structures to regulate industrial disputes.12