Awards & Scholarships

The violent struggle between the descendants of the early Dutch pioneers in South Africa and the British, during the last decade of the nineteenth century, for the control of the riches of that vast section of the globe-an epic struggle that culminated in the Boer War-had a number of important and lasting consequences. One of these, which is often overlooked but which was more than a temporary by-product, was that the privation and hardship of those turbulent times produced in a number of young men the courage and fortitude which made them outstanding political and industrial leaders in later life.

Among these young men, who were starting their careers during this period, was Peter M. Anderson, now one of the best known and most highly regarded individuals in South African mining, industrial, and educational life. Peter Anderson was born in Natal, South Africa, and attended the Kimberley School of Mines, from which he graduated shortly after the end of the Boer War. His first responsible position was as assistant to William Wallace Mein, then general manager of the Central Mines Administration which controlled a number of gold-mining properties in South Africa. When Mein left the Rand, Anderson accepted a position in Rhodesia but soon returned to take a job with Goerz and Co., which subsequently became the Union Mining Corp. He was made manager of this company during the first world war.

During the last 25 years, the former mine sampler and surveyor advanced steadily in responsibility. He is now managing director of the Union Corporation, Ltd., and chairman of its seven gold-mining subsidiaries. He is also chairman of the board of a number of other important South African industrial concerns. He has received a number of honors, including an honorary doctor's degree from the University of Witwatersrand and an honorary membership in the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy of London. During the past twenty years, he has served five terms as president of Transvaal Chamber of Mines, the trade association of all mining companies in South Africa.