Mining sector glitters in SA’s economy, Institute of Race Relations says
The IRR says mining accounts for the largest component of output in four of the nine provinces‚ while six of SA’s 16 largest towns are heavily dependent on mining
The mining sector does not get the credit it deserves for its contribution to the country’s economy‚ according to the South African Institute of Race Relations. In a paper titled Diamonds and all that‚ the contribution of mining to SA‚ the institute said although the relative contribution of mining to GDP had shrunk‚ it was still the backbone of the economy. It said mining accounted for the single-largest component of the output of four of the nine provinces‚ while six of the country’s 16 largest towns were heavily dependent on mining. "Thanks in large part to iron ore‚ more than a fifth of the output of the Northern Cape comes from mining‚ while the dominance of coal in Mpumalanga ensures that more than a fifth of that province’s output also comes from mining‚ although copper also makes a contribution‚" the paper’s author, John Kane-Berman, said. Limpopo‚ which contains diamonds‚ iron ore and various other minerals‚ relies on mining for 25% of its output. Largely because of platinu...
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