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Social licensing and mining in South Africa: Reflections from community protests at a mining site

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  • Matebesi, Sethulego
  • Marais, Lochner

Abstract

Mining companies are increasingly being required to adhere to the requirements of a social licence to operate. Although this licence is largely seen as an informal agreement, the South African government is increasingly looking to formalise it. Social and labour plans and community trusts to ensure local ownership are two policy approaches used to foster the idea of a social licence to operate. We consider a case in which much conflict has been experienced. Based on 10 in-depth interviews and an assessment of court documents and media reports, our case study shows that community trusts should not be viewed as automatically ensuring a larger degree of local buy-in. They are problematic in many ways. In practice they could increase community conflict. They do not address historical concerns about dispossession and exclusion, and formalising local ownership in law will not necessarily resolve local conflicts. To create a community trust it is first necessary to identify a community, and communities are not necessarily unified structures. And finally, governance requirements complicate community trusts.

Suggested Citation

  • Matebesi, Sethulego & Marais, Lochner, 2018. "Social licensing and mining in South Africa: Reflections from community protests at a mining site," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 371-378.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:59:y:2018:i:c:p:371-378
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2018.08.009
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. van der Watt, Phia & Marais, Lochner, 2021. "Implementing social and labour plans in South Africa: Reflections on collaborative planning in the mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
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    3. Yıldız, Taşkın Deniz & Kural, Orhan, 2020. "The effects of the mining operation activities permit process on the mining sector in Turkey," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    4. Konstantinos Komnitsas, 2020. "Social License to Operate in Mining: Present Views and Future Trends," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Leonard, Llewellyn, 2019. "Traditional leadership, community participation and mining development in South Africa: The case of Fuleni, Saint Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 290-298.
    6. Katarzyna Guzik & Krzysztof Galos & Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska & Toni Eerola & Pasi Eilu & Jorge Carvalho & Francisco Javier Fernandez-Naranjo & Ronald Arvidsson & Nikolaos Arvanitidis & Agnes Raaness, 2021. "Potential Benefits and Constraints of Development of Critical Raw Materials’ Production in the EU: Analysis of Selected Case Studies," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-36, June.
    7. Pavitra Dhamija, 2020. "Economic Development and South Africa: 25 Years Analysis (1994 to 2019)," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 88(3), pages 298-322, September.
    8. Dumbrell, Nikki P. & Adamson, David & Wheeler, Sarah Ann, 2020. "Is social licence a response to government and market failures? Evidence from the literature," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    9. Shackleton, Ross T., 2020. "Loss of land and livelihoods from mining operations: A case in the Limpopo Province, South Africa," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    10. Idemudia, Uwafiokun & Tuokuu, Francis Xavier D. & Essah, Marcellinus, 2022. "The extractive industry and human rights in Africa: Lessons from the past and future directions," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Balza, Lenin H. & Diaz, Lina M. & Gomez-Parra, Nicolas & Manzano M., Osmel E., 2023. "The unwritten license: The societal SLO in Latin America’s extractive sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).

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