Rand capitalists and Chinese resistance

Abstract

• Opsomming: In hulle poging om die invoer van Chinese kontrakarbeid aan die begin van hierdie eeu te regverdig, het die Randse kapitaliste hierdie potensiële arbeidsmark as gedweë, onderdanig en dienswillig uitgebeeld. Om opposisie te paai, het bulle saam met die Britse koloniale regering beperkende regulasies geformuleer ten einde streng beheer uit te oefen en maksimum resultate uit die Chinese ongeskoolde arbeiders te kry. Ten spyte van hierdie beperkinge het die Chinese, net soos ander geskoolde en ongeskoolde mynwerkers aan die Randse myne, die uitbuiting deur die kapitalistiese stelsel aktief teengestaan met alle moontlike metodes tot hulle beskikking. Hierdie weerstand het van drostery tot algemene weiering om te werk gestrek, die opvatting van 'n passiewe en onderdanige Chinese arbeidsmag weerlê en terselfdertyd die omvang en aard van arbeids aktiwiteite aan die Randse goudmyne uitgebrei. ; • Summary: In their efforts to justify the importation of Chinese indentured labour on the gold mines at the turn of this century, the Rand capitalists portrayed this potential workforce as docile, submissive and obedient In order to appease opposition, they, together with the British colonial government, drafted restrictive regulations to exercise extreme control and exact maximum output from the Chinese unskilled labourers. However, despite these constraints, the Chinese, not unlike the other skilled and unskilled employees on the Rand mines, actively resisted the exploitation of the capitalist system by all means at their disposal. This resistance, which ranged from desertion to general refusal to work, disproved conceptions of a passive and submissive Chinese workforce, while at the same time augmented the scope and nature of labour activity on the Rand gold mines.