How did wages and working conditions differ between white and Black mineworkers?

In the gold mines of Johannesburg, wages and working conditions were defined by a rigid racial hierarchy designed to maximize profits and maintain white supremacy.

Wage Disparities

White miners, valued for their skills and political influence, commanded high wages. In contrast, Black mineworkers—who were primarily unskilled migrant workers—were paid significantly less, earning as little as one-ninth of the wages of their white counterparts by the end of the 19th century. By the early 20th century, white workers typically earned five to ten times more than Black workers.12

Working Conditions and Labor Control

• Job Reservation: Through the "job colour bar," enshrined in the Mines and Works Act of 1911, skilled labor was reserved exclusively for whites.23
• Accommodation: Black migrant miners were housed in controlled compounds to reduce overhead costs and facilitate strict oversight.1
• Exclusion: Industrial legislation, particularly following the 1922 strike, explicitly excluded Black workers from wage-bargaining machinery, leaving them without legal recourse to improve their conditions.3

These systemic inequalities were enforced through state power, including the use of the military to suppress strikes by Black workers seeking better pay and treatment.4