DE BRUYN, CASPARUS JOHANNES; DPHIL

                         UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA (SOUTH AFRICA), 1984

                         SOCIOLOGY, INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS (0629)
 

                         The overriding importance of the mining industry is substantiated by the fact that it accounts for most of
                         South Africa's foreign exchange earnings and supplies major industries with raw materials. The existing
                         structures have been pressurised breaking-point by the escalation and intensification of conflict which
                         mainfests itself in labour unrest, strikes and riots. Escalation of labour unrest in this industry stems from
                         the failure of the dualistic structure of the present official industrial system which is compartamentalised in
                         territorial and political segregation based on ethnic division which enhances discriminatory labour and
                         social practices. This empirical research endeavours to comprehend, describe and explain the incidence,
                         causes and nature of conflict in the White/Black interface. The researches of many social scientists have
                         revealed that the nature of the structure of social systems and sub-systems determines the social and
                         economic goal actualisation of its members and therefore the occurrence of alienation and anomie.
                         Conflicts arising from alienation and anomie are mostly manifest and destructive. Overriding findings of
                         this research revolves around the following postulates: (1) The existing nature of the organisational
                         structure of the mining industry effectively restricts or limits the access or participation of Blacks in the
                         local policy and decisionmaking processes which directly affect their working, living and domestic
                         conditions. (2) The above situation generates the incidence of alienation and anomie which is conducive
                         to destructive conflict and/or deviant collective or individual behaviour patterns which may result in the
                         partial or total disintegration of the national economic and social systems. (3) The most sensitive and
                         explosive area probably exists in the White/Black interface of stopping and developing workplaces,
                         because this is the area where the greatest impact will be felt in the event of the final scrapping of
                         discriminatory labour practices. (4) Top priorities therefore should be effective labour relations training to
                         educate all mineworkers in order to promote mutual understanding, tolerance, etc. whilst policy makers at
                         all levels should endeavour to create a training system using available expertise, to defuse possible
                         explosive confict situations.

Social Systems Simulation Group P.O. Box 6904 San Diego, CA  92166-0904 Roland Werner, Principal Phone/FAX  (619) 660-1603