J.B. Marks

A.B. Xuma is elected ANC president-general and begins organisational renewal

📅 15 December 1940

At the ANC annual conference, held 15-17 December, Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma was elected president-general, beginning a sustained effort to rebuild the organisation’s finances, branches and public...

ANC-linked miners’ conference establishes the African Mine Workers’ Union

📅 3 Augustus 1941

A conference convened by the Transvaal Provincial Committee of the ANC led to the formation of the African Mine Workers’ Union (AMWU), with J.B. Marks elected president. The union organised African...

African mineworkers strike for higher wages and better conditions

📅 12 Augustus 1946

The African Mine Workers’ Union launched a major strike on the Witwatersrand after mine owners ignored demands for a ten-shilling daily wage, better food and improved conditions. More than 60,000...