Sanctioning Apartheid - KORA

GOLD ANP) INTERNATIONAL
SANCTIONS AGAINST
SOUTH AFRICA
Ian Lepper and Peter Robbins
Gold was first produced in South Africa ahmt exactly a
century ago. Since then the metal has become insepdle hm
the history, economic structure, and foreign relationships of
South Africa and from apartheid itself. It provides about half of
Sauth M s foreign income and 13% of its Gross Domestic
Product (C;DP). Of the South African govenunent's tax revenues,
13% corns M y
drom the gold glines and perhaps another
10% horn taxes en asdated economic activity such as the mine
supply indusp and income tax of workers in the gold sector.
The profits of gold mining in Swth A€rica far exceed the
cost af mind wages, an almost unique phenomenon in such a
labor intensive industry* HoweverI the interests of the black
mineworkers, whose labor provides these riches, are hardly
eonsidered by the mining companies. Thirty-five thousand of
them have died in mine accidents. In 1986 alone, there were 702
sllch deaths. Many ha this number have been injured 4
have received little or no compensation. The black mineworkers'