Publication: Digging Beneath the Surface: An Exploration of the Net Benefits of Mining in Southern Africa
Date
2019-06
ISSN
Published
2019-06
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Mining has been central to the social
and economic narrative of Southern Africa, and has been a
key provider of investment, employment, government revenue
and infrastructure in the region. In South Africa, the
Johannesburg-Pretoria metropolitan area, which serves as the
region's economic and financial hub, developed because
of the local gold supply. In the early years, mining
developed on the back of migrant workers from across
Southern Africa who toiled in the mines under poor
conditions. Many ex-miners suffer from vocational diseases
to this day. While mining has helped build the economies of
Southern Africa, it has come at social and environmental
costs that cast a long shadow. Inequality is also high in
many Southern African countries, suggesting that mining has
not translated into inclusive growth. This report attempts
to examine and weigh the various benefits and costs that
mining has brought to the Southern Africa region. Data
limitations are significant, restricting authoritative
conclusions on whether the benefits from mining are positive
or negative, on balance, for Southern African societies. The
emphasis of this report is thus on taking stock of various
benefits and costs associated with mining, while drawing on
available information and thought experiments to highlight
the potential trade-offs and how they affect stakeholder
groups: workers, investors, governments, communities, and
the rest of the economy. The countries this report focuses
on are Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Citation
“World Bank. 2019. Digging Beneath the Surface; Digging Beneath the Surface : An Exploration of the Net Benefits of Mining in Southern Africa. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32107 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”