No abstract

Social aspects often lag behind or are not factored into closure plans with the same rigour and levels of confidence as the physical and bio-physical aspects. Anglo American has a predominance of operations in developing countries where local communities become directly and indirectly dependent on the mining activities for their livelihoods. This emphasises the importance of proactive management of social aspects throughout the life-of-mine and at closure. Anglo American is of the opinion that a mine closure plan without concurrent social planning leaves a significant gap in the planning process, lowers the overall confidence in sustainable closure and increases post-closure residual risk as well as associated liabilities. The objective of this case study is to demonstrate how the Anglo American Mine Closure Team is assisting a coal mine in South Africa to develop its social closure plan and closure costs for the site. This is a significant departure from the norm where operations in the past have used external consultants. Using in-house resources ensures deeper ownership of the mine closure plan and thus a better chance that the plan will be executed as intended. The final social closure plan will address the needs and risks associated with employees and dependents, interested parties, affected parties and regulators. Understanding the needs and expectations of these stakeholders is essential to improve the confidence of the overall mine closure plan. The project to develop the social closure plan is split into three phases. The objective of phase one is to deliver a detailed scope of work, with actions, timelines, accountabilities and budgets, which will inform the development of the social closure plan component of the overall mine closure plan. The objective of phase two is to support the colliery with the execution of the actions identified in phase one to ensure the social closure plan is compiled to an acceptable level of confidence given the closure date for the colliery and that it is delivered within set timelines and budgets. The objective of phase three is to support the colliery to implement the social closure plan over the remaining life-of-mine and improve the level of confidence of the final closure plan, mainly through increased stakeholder engagement. Social closure criteria will be developed and included in the current stakeholder engagement platforms. The development of the social closure plan is managed as a project where gaps are identified, all required activities are mapped, resources assigned, critical paths identified and where the schedule is managed with rigour. Through this approach the challenge of involving a diverse array of internal and external stakeholders is much easier to manage. In addition, this multidisciplinary approach allows for better integration and synergies between the social, physical, biophysical and financial closure planning.

The mine closure planning process has predominantly focused on the technical and environmental aspects, but there is a growing recognition of the importance of social closure considerations. The current South African legislation too has a strong bias towards environmental and technical closure planning. South African mine closure planning has recently come under the spotlight, partly spurred on by volatile commodity prices, forcing many mines to close or to go on care and maintenance without clear closure plans in place. The resultant impact on local mining communities has been devastating. This research paper examines the social aspects of mine closure planning of South Deep, a gold mine situated west of Johannesburg in South Africa. South Deep, with its 75-year life-of-mine, faces increased social risks and liabilities because of its proximity to impoverished host communities and other ageing mines. The paper analyses the mine's social closure plans in relation to the South African legislative requirements and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) guidelines.