Questions for Labour on Land, Livelihoods and Jobs: A Case Study of the Proposed Mining at Xolobeni, Wild Coast

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article suggests that the focus of the labour movement on jobs could be broadened to include environmental issues, and particularly the protection of natural resources which form the basis of local livelihoods. However, this requires an understanding of development that is not centred only on notions of economic growth and intensive resource use. This assertion is illustrated with reference to a case study based on research undertaken on the social dynamics involved in a proposed mining project on the Wild Coast of South Africa, named the Xolobeni Heavy Minerals Sands Project. The central argument of this article is that the affected communities’ focus is on protecting natural resources from the threat of mining, both potentially as a source of ‘green jobs’ and, most importantly, as an existing source of livelihoods. This, in turn, has implications for how poverty is understood. This understanding potentially holds significant relevance for the labour movement in developing societies, as it has implications for how they conceive of development and its relation to the environment.