Benoni

Benoni (bunō'nē) [key], town (1991 pop. 288,629), Gauteng, NE South Africa, on the Witwatersrand. It is the distribution center for a gold-mining district and is part of a large industrial complex known for its iron and steel plants. The chief manufacture is electrical equipment. Benoni was founded in 1904. During the violent Witwatersrand miners' strike of 1922, through which white miners sought in vain to prevent mine owners from employing cheaper black labor, heavy fighting occurred in the town between miners and the South African military.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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