The Social Impacts of Mine Closure in South Africa

'Exploring the nexus of mining, mine closure and housing is an important undertaking because the public, private and civil society sectors are grappling with better arrangements for establishing viable post-mining economies. The book is quite timely since no other book appeared on this topic during the past 30 years addressing this issue in SA. The book is a must read for people working in the fields of urban economics, urban and regional planning, sustainable regional development, housing studies, urban sociology, human geography, etc. and with an interest in housing and mining. Many managers, operating in the mining sector, may find this book useful to inform the policies and plans they design and implement in arranging housing in a mining context and post-mining context. The book is a valuable contribution for the so-called developing world because of the sheer numbers and proportions of populations who remained affected after the extracting industries have closed and left a region.' Lucius Botes, Professor in Development Studies and Director Research Development, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North West University, South Africa 'Mines come and go, as governments come and go, and people move in and out. Very rarely, these cycles are perfectly attuned, and the expectations for mining as a provider of community prosperity and stability are all too often disappointed. In this impressive synthesis, Lochner Marais takes a hard look at the situation of South African mining towns, and what happens when the mine closes. His conclusions end up far from the commonplaces pervading the literature, arguing expertly on two sides of common polarizations such as camp/ town, rental/ home ownership, development/ shrink, and considering the pros and cons of place attachment.' Kristof Van Assche, Professor Planning, Governance & Development, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Science, University of Alberta