Up for sale is an unusual piece of ephemera: an admission ticket (and brochure) for the (Bantu) "mine tribal dances" at the City Deep, Ltd., A Compound, a real mining facility located in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.  This ticket was issued for the performance of Sunday, October 7, 1973, which was roughly half way through the Apartheid period in South African history (1948 - 1994).  This was only three years after the passage of the 1970 Homeland Citizens Act, which resulted in the forced eviction of many thousands of Africans from the urban areas of South Africa and South West Africa (now known as Namibia) into reservations known as "Bantustans" (or "original homes").

The ticket/brochure is a bifold that measures (when folded) about 6 inches wide by 4 inches tall.  (When opened, as in photo # 6 of this listing, it measures about 6 inches wide by 8 inches tall.)  The front panel (see photos # 1 & 2) reads as follows:

Admit One Only                              Admission Free of Charge

Chamber of Mines of South Africa

Please admit bearer to the mine tribal dances at

CITY DEEP LTD, A Compound,

on Sunday, 7 Oct 1973 at 9:30 a.m.

Admission is free of charge and the right of admission is reserved

The back panel (see photos # 4 & 5) reads as follows:

Tribal dances are arranged primarily to provide recreation and entertainment for the Bantu mineworkers, and not for the entertainment of the public.  The privilege of attending this dance is extended to visitors on the following conditions:

1.  While on the mine, keep to the area around the dance arena.

2.  Please remain seated while a dance is in progress.  Photographers and tape recording enthusiasts are reminded that they must remain within the arena provided for spectators.

IN THE EVENT OF BAD WEATHER, THE DANCE WILL BE CANCELLED.  Tea is on sale during the interval and proceeds go to charity.

The two panels on the inside of the bifold (see photo # 3) are a map of the City Deep Mine and its relationship to the city of Johannesburg.

My research indicates that this gold mine was part of the Witwaterstrand Goldfields.  In fact, the City of Johannesburg owes its formation and rapid growth to the Witwatersrand Gold Rush of 1886.  (Gold had actually been discovered in the 1850s but the findings were hushed up.) One source indicates that, as of the 1960s, the City Deep, Ltd. was one of five mining companies in the Johannesburg vicinity.  The company was referred to as a "compound" and included the Guildenhuis and Nourse Mines Companies.   By the 1970s, many of the mines in the Witwatersrand Goldfields had been exhausted.  I am not sure as to the exact fate of City Deep, Ltd.  The City Deep suburb remains an important industrial center, the largest "dry port" in Africa and the home to a huge produce (fruit and vegetable) commercial market.

This document refers to "Bantu mineworkers".   The term "Bantu" is not specific to one tribe and one language, but encompasses hundreds of different ethnic groups, speaking hundreds of different languages and dialects, across a large segment of sub-Saharan Africa.  I don't know which particular ethnic groups were employed at the City Deep, Ltd mine.

Please see above for complete description of condition, which is very nice, and for photos.  (The ruler in the photos is NOT part of the sale.)  Sold as is.

Attention US Buyers:  I will ship this as a USPS First Class Letter (not a Parcel).