Digging up the past in a pandemic: South African mining industry must learn from its mistakes Richard Cramer
Dr Richard Cramer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the SARChI, Research Chair: Mineral Law in Africa, at the University of Cape Town.
The Covid-19 pandemic is not the first time South Africa’s mining industry has had to grapple with the outbreak of disease. However, as an industry that has traditionally put profits ahead of the wellbeing of its employees, it has a poor record of dealing with past pandemics.
With South Africa having emerged from a deadly second wave of Covid-19 in recent months, and while more than 450,000 workers returned to the mines, it is vital to shine a light on this history. As will become clear, benevolence has never characterised the mining industry’s response to public health crises that threaten its employees. It is important to bear this historical context in mind when evaluating the contemporary mining industry’s response to C
Dr Richard Cramer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the SARChI, Research Chair: Mineral Law in Africa, at the University of Cape Town.
The Covid-19 pandemic is not the first time South Africa’s mining industry has had to grapple with the outbreak of disease. However, as an industry that has traditionally put profits ahead of the wellbeing of its employees, it has a poor record of dealing with past pandemics.
With South Africa having emerged from a deadly second wave of Covid-19 in recent months, and while more than 450,000 workers returned to the mines, it is vital to shine a light on this history. As will become clear, benevolence has never characterised the mining industry’s response to public health crises that threaten its employees. It is important to bear this historical context in mind when evaluating the contemporary mining industry’s response to Covid-19.