Sustaining livelihoods in post-mine closure contexts: aphenomenological study of former-mineworkers at Tshikondeni Mine in Limpopo Province, South Africa
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Date
2024
Authors
Dzimiri, Patrick
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
The phenomenon of mine closure is increasingly gaining credence as a research focus due to the economic, social, and environmental challenges communities experience in the postclosure environment. Resource depletion and social and political threats account for the closure of several mines globally. In South Africa, closure is attributed to most mines being too old and no new minerals are being discovered. The Tshikondeni coal mine in Limpopo faced closure due to mineral depletion. A gap that has been observed is that not much has been done regarding the impact of mine closure on the livelihoods of coal miners. This phenomenological study, therefore, examined how the former mineworkers at the Tshikondeni mine sustained their livelihoods after the closure of the mine in 2014. The main problem explored was how the former mineworkers acceded to the mine closure’s social and economic realities. A sustainable livelihoods framework was utilised to understand the lived experiences of mineworkers after the mine closure. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, and snowball sampling was adopted to identify the former mineworkers at Tshikondeni who experienced the mine closure. A thematic approach was adopted for data analysis to extrapolate critical themes and meanings from coded data from the recorded interviews with the former mineworkers.
Description
Dissertation (MDS (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2024
Keywords
Mine closure, livelihoods, socio-economic aspects, Tshikondeni, adaptation, mine workers