Synopses & Reviews
At the heart of this compelling account of the Setswana-speaking people of North West Province lie three defining and interlinked issues: ethnicity, the ownership of land, and the impact of mineral wealth. Land, Chiefs, Mining traces the ways in which, over 300 years, the land has determined the relationships between the people who live on it, and how, in the 21st century, mining activity has added another layer to the complex of chiefly influence and commercial interests. This book sheds light on some of the defining issues, moments, and individuals in this lesser-known region of South Africa: an important Tswana kgosi (chief), Moiloa II of the baHurutshe; the South African War and its aftermath; land acquisition; economic and political conditions in the nature reserves; resistance to Mangope’s Bophuthatswana; the impact of game parks and the Sun City resort; rural resistance and the liberation struggle; and African reaction to the platinum mining revolution. Written in a direct and accessible style, the book not only provides the general reader with an understanding of the region, but also opens up avenues for further research.
Review
"Land, Chiefs, Mining draws together the histories of all the Setswana-speaking people of North West Province, showing their linkages, discords and contrasts … A significant contribution to the field." —Neil Parsons, former Professor of History, University of Botswana
Synopsis
Land, Chiefs, Mining explores aspects of the experience of the Batswana in the thornveld and bushveld regions of the North-West Province, shedding light on defi ning issues, moments and individuals in this lesser known region of South Africa. Some of the focuses are: an important Tswana kgosi (chief ), Moiloa II of the Bahurutshe; responses to and participation in the South African War and its aftermath, 1899-1907; land acquisition; economic and political conditions in the reserves; resistance to Mangope's Bophuthatswana; the impact of game parks and the Sun City resort; rural resistance and the liberation struggle; and African reaction to the platinum mining revolution. Written in a direct and accessible style, and illustrated with photographs and maps, the book provides an understanding, for a general reader ship, of the region and its recent history. At the same time it opens up avenues for further research. The authors, Andrew Manson and Bernard Mbenga, both based at North-West University, Mahikeng Campus, have, for some thirty years, been studying and writing on the region's past.
Synopsis
A focused look at the features and politics of the North-West Province of Batswana. Land, Chiefs, Mining explores aspects of the experience of the Batswana in the thornveld and bushveld regions of the North-West Province, shedding light on defining issues, moments and individuals in this lesser known region of South Africa. Some of the focuses are: an important Tswana kgosi (chief), Moiloa II of the Bahurutshe; responses to and participation in the South African War and its aftermath, 1899-1907; land acquisition; economic and political conditions in the reserves; resistance to Mangope's Bophuthatswana; the impact of game parks and the Sun City resort; rural resistance and the liberation struggle; and African reaction to the platinum mining revolution. Written in a direct and accessible style, and illustrated with photographs and maps, the book provides an understanding, for a general reader ship, of the region and its recent history. At the same time it opens up avenues for further research. The authors, Andrew Manson and Bernard Mbenga, both based at North-West University, Mahikeng Campus, have, for some thirty years, been studying and writing on the region's past.
About the Author
Andrew Manson is research professor in the faculty of human and social sciences at North-West University, Mahikeng Campus. Bernard K. Mbenga is a professor of history in the faculty of human and social sciences at North-West University, Mahikeng Campus. They are the coauthors of People of the Dew : A History of the Bafokeng of Rustenburg District, South Africa, from Early Times to 2000.