Minerals and Mining in South Africa | SpringerLink
Abstract. Mining in southern Africa has a long pre-colonial history. Haematite mining in Swaziland can be traced back more than 40,000 years, iron smelting dates from 400 AD or earlier, and copper from 900 AD. The most iconic evidence for pre-colonial mining are the gold artefacts from Mapungubwe dated between 1220 and 1300 AD.