Phalaborwa, town in Northern Province, in northeastern South Africa, near the Drakensberg Mountains. Phalaborwa is an important mining town that has major deposits of phosphates, copper, uranium, and iron ore. Ancient African mining activities took place on the site of Phalaborwa. Archaeological evidence uncovered at Phalaborwa shows that iron was worked there from about AD 770. In the early 19th century the town was preeminent in the region for ironwork. Also in the 19th century the Sotho produced copper at Phalaborwa; coppersmiths may have been producing copper for trading at the coast prior to 1498 and the passage of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.
The first copper mining in the area by Europeans was begun in 1904 but was soon abandoned due to high transport costs. The discovery of phosphates there in 1951 transformed its mineral prospects and a new company, the Phosphates Development Corporation (FOSKOR), was created, to be followed by the building of a new town of Phalaborwa in 1957. By 1970, when 2000 miners were employed, Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ) had purchased a 39 percent interest in the mine and American Newmont a further 30 percent. In 1973 articles written by the British journalist Adam Raphael revealed that RTZ paid over half its workers wages below the poverty line. The mine became a major symbol of international business supporting the system of apartheid, or racial segregation, in South Africa. Following the publicity, wages were increased by 50 percent. The name Phalaborwa means “Better than the South,” to indicate a more healthy climate in which to live. Population (1991) 10,419.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Phalaborwa Information info
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