Abstract
The discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand spurred a critical need for labour in the Transvaal. Early mining efforts heavily relied on migrant workers from Portuguese East Africa, who comprised over 60% of the workforce by 1910. To secure a consistent supply, the Transvaal government sought to expand recruitment to regions as far as Kenya and Uganda, but British opposition prevented this. In response, the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association (WNLA) was established in 1902 to monopolize labour recruitment, particularly in Portuguese East Africa. Through archival research this study investigates the underlying factors driving this migration and how the Portuguese government prioritized the interests of the gold mines over the welfare of Africans in the region. Additionally, it examines the recruitment practices employed by the WNLA. I argue that the WNLA's economic influence in Portuguese East Africa contributed to their ability to control rural societies and the labour market. This control hindered the development of industries in the southern part of the region