Capital, State, and the African Population of Johannesburg, 1921-1980

Abstract

The structure of the African population of Johannesburg has changed dramatically since the city's establishment in 1886. Age and sex data for 1921 indicate a large predominance of men, 89 percent of the African population, 95 percent of whom were between the ages of 15 and 50. This predominance, which was probably even higher during the previous three decades, declines in every subsequent intercensal period until 1960, after which the proportion of men to women fluctuates slightly. This evolution has been largely determined by the changing nature of the local economy on the Reef. Once dominated by mining and its demand for cheap labour power, Johannesburg is now the centre of commerce and an important site of secondary industry. The increasingly modern manufacturing sector has needed more skilled and semiskilled labour than can be supplied by the white population. The employment of Africans in these positions has created a permanent and relatively advantaged African population in Johannesburg. Notes.