Socio-economically sustainable communities post mine closure - A case study of the South African coal mining industry

Owing to the impacts of mining on the environment, on employees and on the community, mine closure activities are not only confined to environmental rehabiltiation activities, but also include social and labour programs to mitigate the negative impacts of mine closure on labour and on local communities. Although challenges still exist, and many mitigation activities have failed to produce expected results, non-governmental institutions, government institutions and mines are increasingly working together to negotiate programs that would be of greater benefit compared to activities of the 1950s up to the 1980s to those affected by mine closure. Nowadays, the intention of the closing mines is that their redundant infrastructrure should be put to good use for the benefit of the local communities; that financial resources should be implemented in corporate social responsibility initiatives to minimise the negative impacts of loss of wage income within the employee population and within the general mining community; and that environmental rehabilitation programs should ensure as much as possible the removal of the mining footprint and the creation of a safe environment for the community.