Investigation of Western Australia’s rehabilitation fund as a fiscal policy solution for South African abandoned mines

Abstract

South Africa’s mining legacy has resulted in a large number of abandoned mines which pose ongoing environmental threats. The regulatory framework makes no provision for cases of abandoned mines, nor does the legislation delegate due responsibility or have an approved strategic plan for their rehabilitation. A mixed methods approach was taken to investigate the challenges related to South African abandoned mine sites and to compare South Africa’s legal provisions for abandoned mine site management with those of Western Australia, specifically the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) Act. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted to ascertain industry attitudes towards the viability of Western Australia's fiscal policy solution for South Africa. Industry stakeholders are reluctant to accept responsibility for previous mine-owners’ actions and the lax legislative controls under which mines operated in the past. It was found that the current implementation and enforcement of legislation in South Africa is lacking in some regards, but if all responsible parties work towards a common goal of funding the rehabilitation of abandoned mines the Western Australian fund may be a feasible fiscal policy solution for South Africa