|
THE GOLDEN SEMICIRCLE
|
575
|
||
|
|
|||
|
trator-in-Executive-Committee
of the Orange Free State had been given interim authority: in 1947, by
Act 51 of the Union Parliament, the Natural Resources Development
Council was set up, which provided for the creation of 'controlled
areas' within which such areas the usage of land was made subject to
supervision. Such a controlled area was duly set up for the embryo
gold-field, the extent of which was subsequently widely extended to
cover the entire countryside between Vereeniging, Bothaville and
Winburg.93 Co-operation between the council, the
administrative authorities, both provincial and national (e.g. the S.A.
Railways), and the mining companies was, of course, imperative and it
was, as Ernest Oppenheimer pointed out, extremely fortunate that except
in one instance the mining houses possessed not only the mineral rights
but also the surface rights over the land area directly involved. (The
exception was Odendaalsrus, where, initially and as a consequence,
difficulties arose.94)
So
far as the Anglo American Corporation group was concerned, surface
rights were vested in the hands of a subsidiary: the Orange Free State
Land and Estate Company (Proprietary) Limited, established in 1946 with
a capital of £1 milhon. But development
itself required the setting up of two other bodies—one to be
responsible for the actual provision of all housing required for the
mines administered by the Anglo American Corporation, the other for the
implementation of the policy of town-planning in the centre selected
for the sake of convenience of access to the main group of mines.95 This centre was
'The
needs of a modern community of say 800 European mine employees, with
their families, and 6,000 Native mine workers (comprising the labour
complement of an average O.F.S. gold-mine), cannot be satisfactorily
provided for under the gold law if it is considered that this Act
envisaged that on mining land only dwelling-houses for mine employees,
trading stores, factories, chemical works, generating plants, public
buildings, schools, churches, etc., could be provided. Hotels, garages,
theatres, butcheries, bottle stores and all other facilities essential
to a modern urban community cannot be allowed on mining land.
Furthermore, dwellings for mining employees only may be erected on such
land but these persons have no freehold title to the stands.
'An
even more disturbing aspect is that the establishment of mining
communities, with such amenities as are allowed, is not subject to the
legislation relating to urban development and local government. Mining
land may, however, be reserved by the Governor General for township
purposes but, in the past, mining companies seldom accommodated their
employees in townships. The establishment of such townships has to take
place in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure which such
companies probably found too cumbersome for their purpose' (A regional survey of the Orange Free State gold-field by the Natural Resources Development Council— 1954, p. 24).
93 Survey, etc., p. 2.
94 Survey, etc., pp. 31-2.
93 '.
. . from the point of view of convenience to the miner himself about
three miles is generally regarded by the mining companies as a maximum
permissible distance. In fact, for reasons of safety in mine operation
and accident control the mining companies prefer a limited number of
key personnel within very easy distance of the mine or housed
|
|||
|
|
|||