Lochner Marais

Phillippe Burger

Maléne Campbell

Stuart Paul Denoon-Stevens

Deidre van Rooyen

Taking the growing South African mining town of Emalahleni as a case study, this book investigates whether a just transition from coal-generated energy is possible and what the local implications of this global restructuring of the energy sector will be. It looks at the consequences of shifting social responsibilities, new inequalities and the sustainability concerns created by the likely energy transition in Africa at the end of the fossil-fuel era.

Considering a Just Transition

Coal and Energy in South Africa

Potential Demand for Social Housing in the Kimberly Area of the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality

This book investigates the relationship between mining, mine closure and housing policy in post-apartheid South Africa, using concepts from new institutional economics and evolutionary governance theory. Mine closures present a major challenge to the mining industry and governments, with this being particularly noticeable in the Global South. This book argues that the dependencies created by the mining industry and mine housing policies while a mine is operational cause serious societal problems when it closes. To demonstrate this, the book applies the concepts of place attachment, asset-based development and social disruption. Conceptually, the book challenges the view that place attachment and asset-based development are the most appropriate and often the only policy responses in mining areas. In South Africa, the mining industry and the government have created comprehensive housing programmes linked to homeownership to promote place attachment, stability and wealth among mine workers. These programmes do not consider the disruption that mine closure might bring. The book challenges the blind application, during boom periods, of policies which create long-term dependencies that are difficult to manage when a mine closes. This book will be of interest to students and scholars researching the social impacts of mining and the extractive industries, social geography and sustainable development, as well as policymakers and practitioners working with mine closure or social impact assessments.

Housing Policy and Place Attachment

The Social Impacts of Mine Closure in South Africa

Etienne Nel

Ronnie Donaldson

The role secondary cities play in the global space economy and national urban hierarchies is increasingly receiving attention from scholars and international agencies, most notably the Cities Alliance. Secondary Cities and Development considers the role of secondary cities through the lens of South Africa, a middle-income country with characteristics of both the developed and developing worlds. This book brings together a broad overview of international literature on secondary cities in South Africa and mirrors them against global experience. Chapters emphasize the importance of secondary cities as regional services areas, their potential roles in rural development, the vulnerabilities to which they are prone and their signifcant potential. By means of review, six South African case studies, and an assessment of contemporary policy approaches towards these cities, this unique volume provides insight into a spectrum of globally significant challenges. This book would be of interest to academics and policy makers working in urban studies or regional development.

Secondary Cities and Development

Philippe Burger

Deirdre van Rooyen

Mining has played a key role in the growth of many towns in South Africa. This growth has been accompanied by a proliferation of informal settlements, by pressure to provide basic services and by institutional pressures in local government to support mining. Fragile municipal finance, changing social attributes, the pressures of shift-work on mineworkers, the impact on the physical environment and perceived new inequalities between mineworkers, contract workers and original inhabitants have further complicated matters. Mining growth has however also led to substantial local economic benefits to existing business and it has contributed to a mushrooming of new enterprises. While the relationship between mining and economic development at the country level has received adequate attention in existing literature, less is known about the consequences of mining at the local level. This book investigates the local impacts of mining in South Africa, focusing on employment, inequality, housing, business development, worker well-being, governance, municipal finance, planning and the environment. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Mining and Community in South Africa will be of interest to scholars of South Africa, economic development, labour and industry, politics and planning.

From Small Town to Iron Town

Mining and Community in South Africa

Lochner Marais

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