South Africa has a rich and very interesting history in gold mining. For hundreds of years South Africans have been mining gold. Gold was discovered by two prospectors on a Transvaal farm called “Langlaagte” in 1886. Langlaagte became the wealthiest gold mining area in the world. Prior to the discovery of gold in Langlaagte, many mining towns were forced to shut down as they ran out of gold however, Langlaagte was different. Miles and miles of gold ran through the underground of the little Transvaal farmland.
The discovery of gold in the Transvaal changed the area drastically. The area went from being a poor and struggling place to an endless treasure of wealth and possibility. Men from near and far made their way to the Transvaal with hopes to acquire a some of the area’s wealth.
Many mining camps were formed where there was gold present. Langlaagte formed part of a huge mining camp called “Johannesburg”, which became the biggest town in the Transvaal, bigger than South Africa’s capital, Pretoria. The multiple mining towns formed a curve on the world map known as the Witwatersrand.
As time went by people began to build houses, shops and offices to suit their needs. Hundreds of people arrived in hopes of making money from mining.
Prospectors were the first people to arrive to the mines, hoping to find gold in the soil. Laborers were the next people to arrive, seeking jobs which would allow them to pay for their weddings, taxes, tools and ploughs for their lands. Others made money by attending to the needs of the miners. These people included sellers of land, lawyers, traders, delivery men, ox-wagon drivers and shopkeepers.
Because of the discovery and mining of gold in South Africa and the development of houses, offices and shops in the mining areas, many improvements were made to the transportation systems. Roads were improved, resulting in wagons being able to move at a faster speed. Railways were also built. People were finally able to earn a wage from working, reside in a compound, township or suburb and purchase food and necessities from a shop.
