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The Village in a Game Park: Local Response to the Demise of Coal Mining in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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  • Tony Binns
  • Etienne Nel

Abstract

Changing economic circumstances as a result of deindustrialization and market forces dramatically affect local areas and lead to a variety of local-level responses. Economic change and the reaction to this process have received much attention in the context of the decline of old heavy industrial regions in Western Europe and North America. But deindustrialization is also occurring elsewhere, for example, in countries such as South Africa, where the decline of mining and related industries is having a severe impact on the livelihoods of individuals, households, and communities. Considerations of institutional thickness, resourcefulness, and capacities inherent within host communities contribute to an understanding of the likely potential of the development response undertaken. This article considers the situation in a once important coal-mining region in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, focusing particularly on the community of Utrecht. In the postapartheid period, unemployment in the area has escalated, at a time when greater empowerment of the historically disadvantaged black population is urgently needed. Through cooperation within the community, together with the injection of external funding and collaboration in a series of joint ventures, Utrecht is progressively rebranding itself as a center for tourism. A number of community-initiated projects are discussed, and the dynamics of the formulation and implementation of the projects are evaluated in the context of the capabilities of individuals and institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Tony Binns & Etienne Nel, 2003. "The Village in a Game Park: Local Response to the Demise of Coal Mining in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 79(1), pages 41-66, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:recgxx:v:79:y:2003:i:1:p:41-66
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1944-8287.2003.tb00201.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Yurui, Li & Yi, Li & Pengcan, Fan & Hualou, Long, 2019. "Impacts of land consolidation on rural human–environment system in typical watershed of the Loess Plateau and implications for rural development policy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 339-350.
    2. Jason P. Holcomb & Paul Frederic & Stanley D. Brunn, 2020. "A Visual Typology of Abandonment in Rural America: From End-of-Life to Treading Water, Recycling, Renaissance, and Revival," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-26, March.
    3. Merwe Clinton David van der, 2014. "Battlefields Tourism: The status of heritage tourism in Dundee, South Africa," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 26(26), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Xiao Gong & Xiaolin Zhang & Jieyi Tao & Hongbo Li & Yunrui Zhang, 2022. "An Evaluation of the Development Performance of Small County Towns and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study of Small Towns in Jiangyin City in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-22, July.
    5. So-Min Cheong, 2005. "Korean Fishing Communities in Transition: Limitations of Community-Based Resource Management," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(7), pages 1277-1290, July.
    6. David Littlewood, 2014. "‘Cursed’ Communities? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Company Towns and the Mining Industry in Namibia," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 39-63, March.
    7. Lochner Marais & Verna Nel & Kholisa Rani & Deidré van Rooyen & Kentse Sesele & Phia van der Watt & Lyndon du Plessis, 2021. "Economic Transitions in South Africa’s Secondary Cities: Governing Mine Closures," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 381-392.
    8. Sarlota Ratang, 2017. "Public Perception toward the Impact of People Activities in Sand and Stone Mining on Economy and Environment in Nulokla Village Jayapura," Journal of Education and Vocational Research, AMH International, vol. 8(2), pages 45-48.
    9. Yin, Xu & Wang, Jing & Li, Yurui & Feng, Zhiming & Wang, Qianyi, 2021. "Are small towns really inefficient? A data envelopment analysis of sampled towns in Jiangsu province, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

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