Mining sector violence reflects a deeper social malaise

The author contends that South Africa functions as a 'limited access order' where political and economic power is concentrated within a ruling coalition that uses patronage and exclusion to maintain control. In the mining sector, this manifests as violent conflict between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), as both compete for the 'rents' associated with official union recognition. The document suggests that transitioning to an 'open access order' requires elites to commit to the rule of law, depersonalize government institutions by ending cadre deployment, and ensure the state maintains legitimate, non-factional control over the police and military.

• South Africa is characterized as a 'limited access order' or 'natural state' where a ruling coalition maintains power through patronage, such as cadre deployment and tenders for politically connected entrepreneurs, effectively excluding the majority of the population from economic opportunity.
• Violence between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) is driven by the desire to secure the economic benefits and 'rents' associated with being the officially recognized union on mines.
• The South African political system lacks 'adaptive efficiency' because the ruling coalition prioritizes the protection of its own rents over policy adaptations, as evidenced by the failure to democratize the bargaining process through labor legislation amendments following the Marikana events.
• To transition to an 'open access order', South Africa must establish 'doorstep conditions' including a credible commitment to the rule of law, the creation of impersonal government institutions not defined by their members, and the consolidation of state control over the military and police to prevent monopoly control by specific factions.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2013). Mining sector violence reflects a deeper social malaise. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-sector-violence-reflects-a-deeper-social-malaise/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Mining sector violence reflects a deeper social malaise. 2013. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-sector-violence-reflects-a-deeper-social-malaise/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Mining sector violence reflects a deeper social malaise |date=15 August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-sector-violence-reflects-a-deeper-social-malaise/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2013mining, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Mining sector violence reflects a deeper social malaise}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-sector-violence-reflects-a-deeper-social-malaise/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }