HOST COMMUNITIES AND MINING PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE MINERAL REGULATION

The issue of host communities in the context of mining projects has become the subject of increasing attention in recent years both in South Africa and internationally. This is as a direct result of host communities asserting their interests and rights more actively than in the past. This trend incorporates both traditional concerns such as employment but also new issues such as management of social change. Indeed, it has become much easier for previously isolated host communities to attract attention to their grievances, mobilise supporters and focus criticism on government and mining companies. Host communities have become more assertive and betterinformed and are able to articulate their interests and rights more clearly than before.