Economic Sustainability of Small Mining Towns: A Case Study in South Africa
Mining projects, the backbone of many small towns worldwide, have a lifespan. The lifespan of an iron ore mine, for instance, is on average between 6 and 24 years (Anglo American, 2013) and thereafter mineral depletion sets in. Economic factors (Burger et al., 2018) and geological factors (Ackermann et al., 2018a) can also render …