Social licensing and dependencies: Implications for mine closure in South Africa

Abstract

The social license to operate that the mining sector uses to ensure local consent has come under criticism. Yet research seldom investigates the dependencies created by this license. To remedy this deficiency, we used the dependencies identified by evolutionary governance theory to examine three case studies of a social license to operate in mining areas in South Africa. We found that the license can create rigidity and conflicts. Interdependencies are visible in both cooperation and conflict between the mines and NGOs. Goal dependency is visible in the adverse consequences that follow when communities want to redress historical inequalities as well as in the emphasis on creating trust. Path dependency is visible in the persistence of a mindset associated with a mining boom. We argue that proponents of the social license to operate should consider the dependencies that their activities cause and the long-term implications when a mine closes. • A mining boom creates path dependency. • A social license to operate often ignores the inevitability of mine closure. • Large social investments when a mine starts can hamper closure. • Social investments can create negative interdependencies and cause conflict. • We apply evolutionary governance theory to South African mining case studies.