Community participation in diversification options of the diamond mine, Alexkor Ltd : tourism and mariculture
Doctoral Thesis
1998
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
As a diamond mining company, Alexkor Ltd has had a great impact on the Namaqualand region. Its non-mining section, ABT, has begun implementing a development strategy that is focused on internal transformation of the company and post-mining economic alternatives. This dissertation focuses on how marginalised communities have been incorporated into the planning, decision-making and implementation of the two Alexkor Ltd diversification projects, tourism and mariculture, in the Northern Namaqualand region. Their participation in these projects is crucial to ensuring that alternative economic options become a vehicle for socio-economic development in a post-mining economy. This is particularly important since the Namaqualand economy is heavily dependent on diamond mining, which has been scientifically predicted to decommission over the next few years. The social disruption caused by the inevitable downscaling of mining is a concern for mining companies and government. It is of greater concern for communities who will suffer the effects of retrenchments and therefore, loss of income, directly. The ABT facilitators of the diversification projects recognise the necessity of applying the development strategy at a regional level. This is to ensure that mine-linked communities, especially those who have been historically marginalised, will be socio-economically empowered by diversification, and that their capacity will have been built in order to participate in post-mining economic options. in addition, the nature of tourism and mariculture requires an IBM approach, which incorporates regional bio-geographical and socio-economic factors. Thus, the implementation of the diversification options has had to incorporate: * the socio-political history of South Africa and the Namaqualand region * relevant legislative and institutional policies and processes that espouse the need for transformation, reconstruction and nation-building at national, provincial and local levels. This study focuses on how the participation of communities has occurred over a period of about eight months. It concludes with recommendations and guidelines which development activists and facilitators could use for similar projects.
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Bibliography: leaves 150-154.
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Rodkin, H. 1998. Community participation in diversification options of the diamond mine, Alexkor Ltd : tourism and mariculture. University of Cape Town.