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BL Premium reports that the coal mining industry is a core employer in Mpumalanga, accounting for about 5% of the province’s total employment, excluding indirect employment induced by the industry.
This is according to research conducted by the University of Cape Town, measuring individual and household coal economy dependence. It found that SA’s coal mining landscape was characterised by regional concentration, with Mpumalanga accounting for about 80% of national production. “The industry accounts for about 5% of total employment in the province, while accounting for 19% of employment in eMalahleni, 15% in Msukaligwa, 14% in Steve Tshwete, 3.5% in Govan Mbeki, 9.4% in Mkhondo, 5% in Albert Luthuli, and 7% in Victor Khanye,” the study revealed. The figures do not account for indirect employment through coal, such as retail and financial services. Mpumalanga is the hub of SA’s coal mining industry. Of SA’s 78 operating coal mines, 65 are in the province. The study conducted by Haroon Bhorat, Tsungai Kupeta, Lisa Martin and François Steenkamp indicated that about 106,887 direct and indirect jobs were linked to the coal value chain, and that while the world was transitioning away from coal the coal mining industry and the broader coal value chain remained important in SA and would need “careful consideration when transitioning”.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kabelo Khumalo at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page