Talk focuses on dark day in Brakpan’s history
After an hour of resistance, the defenders surrendered to the strikers and the massacre began.
The 1922 Miners Strike was the topic of an informative talk at the Brakpan Mines Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon.
The talk, which covered the events surrounding Friday, March 10, 1922, was presented by the Brakpan Museum NPC as part of the organisation’s observance of the town’s centenary this year.
The strike is a tragic event in Brakpan’s history and saw people shot in cold blood and houses and shops burnt down.
White strikers were fighting for what they called “the cause” – a struggle to protect the position of the white miner, no matter how unskilled, from being taken over by a black labour force.
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On March 10, they attacked police and mines.
Attacks also took place in Germiston, Boksburg, Springs and other areas.
At Brakpan Mines, a handful of mine officials and special police tried to repel the attack of over 700 strikers.
After an hour of resistance, the defenders surrendered to the strikers and the massacre began. Nine people were killed.
(Sources: The Brakpan Story by Selby Webster, 1922 The Revolt on the Rand by Norman Herd.)
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