Perspectives on the role of social impact assessments in solving acid mine drainage imposed socio-economic impacts in post-mining communities: a study of Carolina Catchment area X11B in Mpumalanga, South Africa
Date
2019
Authors
Chidzungu, Thandiwe
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Abstract
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is the biggest problem mining communities in South Africa face. AMD has environmental, social and economic implications. In the context of Carolina in Mpumalanga, South Africa, the prevalence of AMD poses a threat to environmental, social and economic stability in the area. In view of this, extensive work has been done to address the physical elements overlooking the social and economic elements. This study was aimed at exploring the role of Social Impact Assessments as a tool in assessing and addressing the AMD imposed socio-economic impacts on mining communities. Data was gleaned from interviews, public dialogues, stakeholder consultative forums, community forums, questionnaires, focus group discussions, Integrated Development Plans (IDP), Stats SA Community Surveys, and Local Economic Development (LED). Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) was used as the main methodological approach in conjunction with an ethnographic approach and the aforementioned data collection tools, to unpack the problem. A myriad of stakeholders within the Carolina community ranging from; ordinary community members, farmers, business people, Inkomati Usuthu Catchment Management Agency (IUCMA) officials, mining officials, municipality and LED officials from local government within Mpumalanga. Mining community activists from within Africa were also engaged as participants.
The findings revealed that AMD has grossly impacted on the socio-economic wellbeing of the mining community. Notable is that, the affected communities have remained excluded from any planning and decision-making processes in mineral development. Public participation is still at its doldrums imbued with gender, racial disparities, coupled with human rights violations emanating from environmental injustices. The environmental injustices imposed by AMD pollution from mining activities have led to dire consequences on the community’s health, food security, employment and poverty intensity. A major premise of the thesis untangles opportunities for SIAs in reducing socio-economic and environmental impacts of AMD and feeds into local and national socio-economic development with a view to establish possible entry points to the regulatory policy. Moreover, it gives room for further debates on SIA to be used as a stand-alone environmental management tool that is conducted by Social Scientists to afford the socioeconomic impacts of mineral development more weight
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s degree in the Faculty of Science Department of Geography, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2019
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Citation
Chidzungu, Thandiwe (2019) Perspectives on the role of social impact assessments in solving acid mine drainage imposed socio-economic impacts in post-mining communities:a study of Carolina Catchment area X11B in Mpumalanga, South Africa, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://hdl.handle.net/10539/29579>