An assessment of the social impact of acid mining drainage on the west rand, South Africa: Towards responsive mining and sustainable cities on the African continent

Mining activity in South Africa creates a potentially dangerous situation for communities. Almost 40 per cent of the country’s working mines have inadequate environmental rehabilitation, which leaves a negative impact on the communities. For more than a century West Rand region allowed South Africa to become a leading economic bloc on the continent. However the mining activities left behind numerous toxic footprints such as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). To understand the social effects of AMD social impact assessment processes offer a plausible solution. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an over-arching framework that embodies the evaluation of all projects that impact on humans and on all the ways in which people and communities interact with the socio-cultural, economic and bio-physical environment. SIA minimises negative impacts due to a mismatch between people and projects by indicating the social impact of projects prior to implementation and facilitating project modification and mitigation through public input. In this case, the idea of SIA is being put across to assess the social impact of AMD on the West Rand. This chapter demonstrates that AMD on the West Rand is a result of mining companies abandoning mine shafts once they are no longer viable and failing to rehabilitate the mines by pumping water out of inactive shafts and discharging it safely into the environment. On the West Rand, and particularly at Mogale Gold Processing Plant 18 Winze shaft, AMD is spilling out onto the surface at a rate of about 30 million liters per month, leaving decimated ecosystems in its wake and posing a critical danger to the future drinking water supply of the nation. This chapter recommends that the South African government and other African governments need to consider mandating mining companies to assess the social impacts when issuing a mining license and doing followup studies after the mines have closed. SIA can be used as a key in impact management processes.