#35 The Night Trains

Published: June 14, 2020, 10 a.m.

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In this episode, we discuss Charles van Onselen's book "The Night Trains." It is the story of a "forgotten" railway line, the Easten Main Line, that transported the majority of South Africa's black mine workers to the Johannesburg goldfields. These mine workers came from the Sul do Save in southern Mozambique where a forced labour system called "shibalo" was in place. They were recruited by the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association (the WNLA, also called "Mzilikazi") to go and work in the mines for very meagre wages. It's the story of migrant labourers who were considered nothing more than train freight, and who were scammed out of the little money they've earned. This is a discussion that makes reference to historical bias, and emphasizes the necessity to allow South African historians a voice in our history classrooms. What are the hidden stories behind South Africa's mineral revolution and industrialisation? We've drawn on reviews written by Richard Poplak, Dennis Webster, and Ferial Haffajee.\\xa0 \\xa0\\xa0

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