People/labour leader, politician

J. B. Marks

J. B. Marks (1903–1972), labour leader, politician, from South Africa. Linked to gold.

The lucky break

Elected president of the African Mine Workers Union in 1942, when it grew to over 50000 members.1

The downfall

Joined the Communist Party in 1928 after hearing a talk at the mine where he worked. He died in exile in Moscow in 1972.1

Legacy

The union struck on 12 August 1946 with over 100000 miners. SAHO says soldiers forced them back into the shafts and hundreds were killed.1

Story cards

Timeline

  1. 1946African mine workers' strike on the Witwatersrand2
Drag to turn the globe

Where next

People

Inspired bySidney Percival BuntingBunting helped found the Communist Party that J. B. Marks joined in 1928.1Partner ofGaur RadebeThe union Radebe helped found elected Marks as its president.1,3Inspired byCyril RamaphosaFrom the 1946 African Mine Workers Union to the 1982 National Union of Mineworkers.1,4

Events

LedAfrican mine workers' strike on the WitwatersrandOver 100,000 miners downed tools in one week of August 1946.1

Sources

  1. John Beaver JB Marks South African History Online
  2. 1946 African Mineworkers Strike South African History Online
  3. Gaur Radebe South African History Online
  4. Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa South African History Online

Pictures on this page: 21.11.2025 – Presidente da República da África do Sul, Cyril Ramaphosa (54938010569) (cropped).jpg, Ricardo Stuckert (CC BY 4.0).

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

Keep exploring

Stories with these minerals

The Super Pit gold mine at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, at sunsetMining historyGold rushes, then and nowGold and lithium · WorldwideAn underground loader carrying a full bucket of rock through a dark mine roomEquipmentUnderground mining equipmentUnderground · FleetLessons from historyPrice shocks and the supply response1893-2025Lessons from historyThe deposits that made fortunes, and who kept them1485-2008

All mining storiesThe world runs on rockAll mineralsMining by country

Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Super Pit, Kalgoorlie by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0; Underground mining equipment by Kaupo Kikkas, CC BY-SA 4.0. Pictures: Pangkalpinang. Mijn 3b. Een reeks koelies bezig met het transporteeren van grond, Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Kimberley, South Africa: miners and washing gear at the Bultfontein diamond mine. Woodburytype, 1888, after a photograph by Robert Harris., Harris, Robert, active 1881-1888. (Public Domain Mark 1.0).