3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Food diamonds? An evaluation of the impact of alluvial diamond mining activities on the agricultural potential of land(2018) Pienaar, MarineSouth Africa depends on rainfed agriculture for a large volume of food produced and producers have to cope with erratic rainfall conditions that often result in crippling droughts. The situation is aggravated by the limited availability of soil with high crop yield potential that is further decreased by competing land uses such as urban development and mining. The study aimed to evaluate the impact that alluvial diamond mining activities have on rainfed maize production in North-West Province. Case study methodology was used to investigate the phenomenon of alluvial diamond mining and prospecting as a temporary land use on productive farmland. Soil classification data of four crop fields were analysed to determine the key soil properties that are important for sustainable crop yield in the study area. Environmental management plans submitted to the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) as part of the alluvial diamond mining authorisation process were evaluated to determine whether these pre-mining soil properties are reflected in the process. A comparative analysis was then conducted between the soil assessment and approaches of crop producers and alluvial diamond miners on the same land. The success or failure of current rehabilitation processes to restore the agricultural potential of the land was evaluated through comparative analysis of maize yields on undisturbed and mined land over a period of six years and under fluctuating rainfall conditions. Results showed that the presence of slowly permeating subsurface soil horizons contribute significantly to high crop yield in the study area, especially during lower rainfall years. The depth and thickness of such horizons are crucial to the functionality of the higher yielding soils. In contrast to this, documents submitted as part of the environmental authorisation process, provide very limited information about the soil properties of the areas to be mined. Soil information was found to be replicated for applications over large areas without any specific soil management measures to address the heterogeneity. These documents also fail to communicate the crop yield potential of the pre-mined areas to the DMR. The comparison of yields on rehabilitated mine soil with that of undisturbed land, showed that yield losses are still suffered, even in the case of best practice soil iii rehabilitation. These differences are particularly evident in low rainfall years following high rainfall years, where stored soil-water in undisturbed soil profiles contribute significantly to the yield potential of soil. Comparative analysis between undisturbed and rehabilitated soil profiles showed that the organisation of soil horizons cannot be recreated with the rehabilitation process even when the topsoil is removed and stored separately from the overburden. Loss of the horizon organisation negatively affects the water-holding capacity of soil in the study area, thereby impacting negatively on the long-term sustainability of rainfed agriculture in this area.Item Corporate reputation in the South African diamond industry : a multi-stakeholder perspective(2016) Ngcobo, Sakhile GlenLack of common understanding of corporate reputation in the diamond industry in South Africa has attracted a lot of interest in this aspect of the mining industry. The recent Marikana Massacre in the platinum belt in the Rustenburg area at Lonmin Mine in 2012, together with on-going debates on resource nationalisation and negative relations between mine communities and diamond mining companies have prompted the call for more research in reputation management in the mining industry in South Africa. The purpose of this research is to define the meaning of corporate reputation in the diamond industry, to understand key perceptions of the diamond industry, to identify key effects of corporate reputation in the diamond industry and to evaluate key management approaches to corporate reputation in the diamond industry from multi-stakeholder perspectives. Mixed methods research methodology was used in this study, comprising quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis. Key findings include that there is no one single definition of corporate reputation. Each stakeholder has his/her unique definition which is based on his/her own assessments of the organisation, the past and future actions of the corporation, and their experience and perception of the organisation. Poor relations between mine communities and diamond companies; prospects for the collapse of the Kimberley Process (KP); violent strikes; environmental issues, including rehabilitation of old mines; poverty and high unemployment in the mining communities; failure of BEE transactions in delivering real value to the mine employees and local communities; illegal mining; the rise of synthetic un-natural diamonds and negative perceptions of the diamond industry in South Africa are the current major challenges and risks affecting the diamond industry in South Africa. This study concludes that positive corporate reputation would result in improved investor confidence, higher levels of attracting and retaining top level talent in the organisation, improved attraction of customers, better relations with communities and improved stakeholder relations. The study did not find evidence proving that a positive reputation will result in higher prices for diamond products. It found that corporate reputation management initiatives in the diamond industry are not well understood and, as a result, they are not delivering the full results as expected. ii | P a g e Effective stakeholder relations management with a special focus on community engagement including youth groups’ involvement in the mining towns; targeted social investment programmes with special focus on enterprise development and effective management of industry perceptions are identified as the most critical steps to be adopted in the diamond industry in order to improve its reputation.