Land, Chiefs, Mining explores aspects of the experience of the Batswana
in the thornveld and bushveld regions of the North-West Province,
shedding light on defi ning issues, moments and individuals in this
lesser known region of South Africa. Some of the focuses are: an
important Tswana kgosi (chief ), Moiloa II of the Bahurutshe; responses
to and participation in the South African War and its aftermath,
1899-1907; land acquisition; economic and political conditions in the
reserves; resistance to Mangope's Bophuthatswana; the impact of game
parks and the Sun City resort; rural resistance and the liberation
struggle; and African reaction to the platinum mining revolution.
Written in a direct and accessible style, and illustrated with
photographs and maps, the book provides an understanding, for a general
reader ship, of the region and its recent history. At the same time it
opens up avenues for further research. The authors, Andrew Manson and
Bernard Mbenga, both based at North-West University, Mahikeng Campus,
have, for some thirty years, been studying and writing on the region's
past.