The Effects of Illegal Mining on Socio-Economic Development of North West Province, South Africa
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
##article.abstract##
This paper focuses on the effects of illegal mining in North West Province, South Africa. It is one of the country’s most resource-endowed provinces and, as a consequence, is affected by the menace of illegal mining. This paper, based on the synthesis of political ecology and the Dutch disease syndrome, argues that illegal mining in the North West Province of South Africa is a function of the political and economic structure of South African society over history and how the province has become resource-dependent over the years. This then led to the weakening of the manufacturing and agricultural sectors of the provincial economy and pushed jobless youths and criminally-minded people around mines to engage in illegal mining. It adopted a qualitative method based on data from extant sources. It found three dimensions to the socioeconomic challenges of illegal mining in the North West Province. It concludes that the foregoing is a function of the historical injustice of resource exploration and the weakening of critical sectors of the provincial economy. The paper recommends a multi-faceted approach to finding solutions to the menace.
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
##submission.howToCite##
##submission.citations##
Achina-Obeng R and Aram S A (2022) Informal artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Ghana: assessing environmental impacts, reasons for engagement, and mitigation strategies Resour. Policy 78 102907.
Agunyai, S.C., Ojakorotu, V., & Olatunji, O.R. (2022). Artisanal Gold Mining and Local Socioeconomic Development in Ife Land, Southwest, Nigeria, Journal of Development Studies, 10(1), 1-10, https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-aa_affrika1_v2022_nsi1_a4.
Aryee B N, Ntibery B K and Atorkui E (2003). Trends in the small-scale mining of precious minerals in Ghana: a perspective on its environmental impact J. Clean. Prod. 11 131–40
Augustine, C. (2024, February 22). Illegal Mining. South African Government: Official Information and Services. Retrieved from https://www.gov.za/blog/illegal-mining (Accessed June 13, 2024)
Bergeron C M, Hopkins W A, Todd B D, Hepner M J and Unrine J M (2011). Interactive effects of maternal and dietary mercury exposure have latent and lethal consequences for amphibian larvae Environmental science & technology 45 3781–7.
Bester, V. (2019). A corporate social responsibility (CSR) conceptual framework to address unregulated artisanal gold mining in South Africa. University of Johannesburg (South Africa).
Cabeza M, Terraube J, Burgas D, Temba E M and Rakoarijaoana M (2019) Gold is not green: Artisanal gold mining threatens Ranomafana National Park’s biodiversity Animal Conservation 22 417–9.
Chakuya J, Gandiwa E, Muboko N, Muposhi V K, Ndebele M and Tagwireyi P (2022). The status of honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) colonies in Hurugwe Safari Area-Rifa section, northern Zimbabwe Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes 1–11.
Dethier E. N., Sartain S. L. & Lutz D. A. (2019) Heightened levels and seasonal inversion of riverine suspended sediment in a tropical biodiversity hot spot due to artisanal gold mining Proceedings of National Academy of Science 116(48).
Eklund J., Blanchet F. G., Nyman J., Rocha R., Virtanen, T. & Cabeza M. (2016). Contrasting spatial and temporal trends of protected area effectiveness in mitigating deforestation in Madagascar Biological Conservation 203, 290–297.
Gandiwa E and Gandiwa P (2012) Biodiversity conservation versus artisanal gold mining: a case study of Chimanimani National Park, Zimbabwe Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa 14 29–37.
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (2022). The emergence of a ‘bulk commodity illegal industry’ in South African chrome mining. Retrieved from https://riskbulletins.globalinitiative.net/esa-obs- 025/03-emergence-of-bulk-commodity-illegal-industry-in-south-african-chrome-mining.html (Accessed June 20, 2024).
Hendricks, C. (2023). North West Communities around Mines Concerned about Groundwater Contamination. SABC News. Retrieved from https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/north-west-communities-around-mines- concerned-about-ground-water-contamination/ (Accessed May 3, 2024).
Hinton J J, Veiga M M. & Veiga A T C 2003 Clean artisanal gold mining: a utopian approach? J. Clean. Prod. 11 99–115.
Interpol (2022, April). Illegal Mining and Associated Crimes: A Law Enforcement Perspective on One of the Most Lucrative Crimes. Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment.
Laisani, J., Choma, H., & Magoro, M. R. (1992). Environmental Impact Assessment in the Context of Mining in South Africa: Challenges and prospects. African Journal of Public Administration and Environmental Studies 1(2).
Margolin, L. (2024). [Ranking:] DRC, South Africa, Botswana… Who has the greatest potential in critical minerals? The African Report: Ground Control. Retrieved from https://www.theafricareport.com/333508/drc- south-africa-botswana-who-has-the-greatest-potential-in-critical-minerals/ (Accessed Juen 20, 2024).
Markham K E and Sangermano F (2018) Evaluating wildlife vulnerability to Mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Madre de Dios, Peru Tropical Conservation Science 11.
Matsa M (2011) Fast-tracked to prosperity or into poverty? an assessment of Zimbabwe’s fast track resettlement programme on beneficiaries lives at Beacon Kop farm in Shurugwi district Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa 13 197–212.
Mineral Council South Africa (2022). Facts and Figures Pocketbook 2022. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Dr%20Deleism/Downloads/2023-02-06-facts-and-figures-pocketbook2022.pdf (Accessed June 20, 2024).
Mining Technology (2024, June 18). The World’s Ten Largest Platinum Mines. Retrieved from https://www.mining-technology.com/marketdata/ten-largest-platinums-mines/?cf-view (Accessed Juen 20, 2024).
Murshed, S. M. (2018) Dutch Disease and Deindustrialisation. In Murshed, S. M. (ed) The Resource Curse. Agenda Publishing, 11-30.
North West Provincial Government (2021). North West Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Report. Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism. Retrieved from https://soer.environment.gov.za/soer/UploadLibraryImages/UploadDocuments/180123121052_North%20West% 20Climate%20Risk%20and%20Vulnerability%20Assessment%20Report%20final_2021-2022.pdf (Accessed June 20, 2024).
Owusu-Nimo F, Mantey J, Nyarko K B, Appiah-Effah E and Aubynn A (2018). Spatial distribution patterns of illegal artisanal small scale gold mining (Galamsey) operations in Ghana: a focus on the Western Region Heliyon 4 e00534.
Phakisi-Portas, N., van Wyk, D. & Sefuli, M. (2023). Zama Zama Report. Technical Report September 2023.
Portfolio Committees: Mineral Resources and Energy, Home Affairs and Police on the Joint Oversight Visit on Illegal Mining to Five South African Provinces (2022, November 25). Report. Retrieved from https://static.pmg.org.za/221128pcminreport.pdf (Accessed June 19, 2024).
Prasetyo B, Krisnayanti B D, Utomo W H and Anderson C W N (2010) Rehabilitation of artisanal mining gold land in West Lombok, Indonesia: 2. Arbuscular mycorrhiza status of tailings and surrounding soils J. Agric. Sci. 2 202.
Roberts, J. (2020) 2023. Political ecology. In The Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology, edited by Felix Stein. Facsimile of the first edition in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Online: http://doi.org/10.29164/20polieco.
Rudd, C. D. (1996). An empirical analysis of Dutch disease: Developing and developed countries. Honours Project. Illinois Wesleyan University. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1064&context=econ_honpro j (Accessed June 23, 2024).
Skallis, G (2024). What is Political Ecology? Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLVE69QZt5w (Accessed June 24, 2024).
South African Government News Agency (2024, May 14). SA Unemployment Rate Increases. Retrieved from https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-unemployment-rate increases#:~:text=According%20to%20Stats%20SA%2C%20the,2023%20(Q4%3A%202023) (Accessed June 21, 2024).
South African Police Service (2022). Briefing Session: Portfolio Committee on Police: Tackling Illicit Mining Activities Impacting South Africa. Retrieved from https://static.pmg.org.za/171114Illicit_Mining.pdf (Accessed June 20, 2024).
South African Police Service (2022). Illicit Mining: North West. Retrieved from https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/Pages/2022/7-August/8-08- 2022/Ministerial_Briefing_Illegal_Mining/session2/North_West.pdf (Accessed June 20, 2024).
Takyi R, Hassan R, El Mahrad B and Adade R (2021) Socio-ecological analysis of artisanal gold mining in west Africa: a case study of Ghana Journal of Sustainable Mining 20 206–19.
Thornton, R. (2014). Zamazama,“illegal” artisanal miners, misrepresented by the South African Press and Government. The Extractive Industries and Society, 1(2), 127-129.
UNODC (2023). Responding to Illegal Mining and Trafficking in Metals and Minerals a Guide to Good Legislative Practices. United Nations.
Williams, T. G. (2019). Illegal mining's effect on the sustainability of a South-African Gold mine (Doctoral dissertation, North-West University (South Africa).
Wilson M L, Renne E, Roncoli C, Agyei-Baffour P and Tenkorang E Y 2015 Integrated assessment of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ghana—3: Social sciences and economics International Journal of environmental research and public health 12 8133–56