The impact of mining on the South African economy : an empirical review

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dc.contributor.authorStilwell, Lancelot Charles
dc.date.accessioned2021-10-13T12:54:40Z
dc.date.available2021-10-13T12:54:40Z
dc.date.issued1999
dc.descriptionA Thesis submitted to the Department of Mining Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophyen_ZA
dc.description.abstractMany people and organizations, including the government, claim that mining is the cornerstone of the South African economy. However, no documentation of either the inter-sector or the intra-sector relationship of the mining industry with the rest of the economy exists to support this claim. The purpose of the research undertaken in this thesis is to evaluate and quantify these relationships, during the period 1971 to 1993, using input-output multipliers. The conclusions reached are that: (i) Increased output from mining activities did not have the greatest mean impact on GDP. (ii) Income generated in mining activities had a significantly less mean impact on GDP than did income generated in the majority of other sectors. (iii) Increased output from the mining activities did not have the greatest mean the impact on employment. (iv) Increased employment in the mining industries had a significantly less mean the impact on employment than did employment in the majority of other sectors. (v) The sector that consistently benefited the most from increased mining output was "wholesale and retail trade and motor trade". None of the heavy manufacturing industries benefited significantly from increased mining output. (vi) The impact, of increased mining output and increased employment in the mining activities, on suppliers of intermediate input, was less than the mean impact of the whole economy. The mining industry does generate large flows of income, but this income does not benefit the economy to the same extent as several other sectors. The thesis supports a previous study that found that the forward linkages between mining and the rest of the economy are indirect and through the world economy. Finished products are imported to facilitate the export of raw mineral resources, which is the driving activity of the economy. It is not possible to determine the individual importance of minerals other than coal and gold. "Other minerals" should be segregated in future Tables. Neither GDP nor input-output tables take any account of the depletion of natural reserves. This is an important limitation on their use as an indicator of income in a minerals abundant economy and is an area for further research.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianAndrew Chakane 2021en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/31705
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.subjectMines and mineral resources -- South Africa.en_ZA
dc.subjectSouth Africa -- Economic conditions.en_ZA
dc.titleThe impact of mining on the South African economy : an empirical reviewen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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