The Concept of Social Justice in Mine-Host Community Involvement and Benefit Accrual: Reflections from Mineral Extraction in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Minerals play a vital role in societal and economic growth. As finite and non-renewable resources, minerals inevitably diminish upon extraction. Consequently, there is an expectation that the extraction process should involve and benefit the local communities hosting these resources. Despite expectations of benefitting local communities, mineral extraction often results in more economic, social, and environmental burdens than advantages for them. This contribution is centred on a theoretical inquiry, employing the concept of social justice to explore and mitigate the disparities in the distribution of costs and benefits experienced by mine-host communities. It aims to balance the inequities, emphasising the principles of distributive, procedural and remedial justice to reconcile the losses and gains in a fair and equitable manner.