AFRIKANER NATIONALISM, ANGLO-AMERICAN AND ISCOR - THE FORMATION OF THE HIGHVELD-STEEL-AND-VANADIUM-CORPORATION, 1960-70

The article is concerned with the history of the South African steel i ndustry in the 1960s. it provides an account of Anglo American's forma tion of the Highveld Steel & Vanadium Corporation which challenged the dominant position of the public enterprise, the South African Iron & Steel Corporation (Iscor). The article examines the interaction betwee n the incumbent firm and the entrant's paront company. It argues that the dynamics and the resulting collusive alliance, also encompassing t he South African interests of the British Steel Corporation, can only be understood if they are placed within a South African political cont ext. In particular it is argued that the politics of Afrikaner nationa lism was crucial in shaping Iscor's response to Anglo and consequently the structure of the ownership of the South African steel and enginee ring industry. The alliance which took the form of a company called th e International Pipes & Steel Investment South Africa (Ipsa) defined t he control of the steel and engineering industry for roughly the next ten years.