CAN WORKPLACE SECONDMENTS BUILD TRUST IN THE MINING SECTOR?

The document argues that the relationship between the South African government and the mining industry is characterized by mutual suspicion, leading to economic costs such as underinvestment and lost productivity. It proposes a long-term, co-funded secondment programme where public servants work within mining companies for 9 to 18 months to deepen mutual understanding and technical expertise. While acknowledging risks like potential corruption or brain drain to the private sector, the author asserts that rigorous design and a 5 to 10 year implementation horizon can mitigate these issues and serve as a model for the rest of Africa.

• The relationship between the South African government and mining companies is marked by mutual suspicion and an impasse, with the government relying on legislative measures and the private sector responding through litigation.
• Sub-optimal relations in the mining sector have resulted in significant economic consequences, including divestment, job losses, and productivity drops due to safety stoppages.
• Inappropriate applications of Section 54 of the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996 caused member companies of the Chamber of Mines to lose ZAR 4.8 billion in 2015, with total losses from 2012 to 2015 estimated at ZAR 13.63 billion.
• While secondments are mentioned in the National Development Plan and the Africa Mining Vision, substantive implementation of such programmes remains rare across Africa due to resource requirements, fears of corruption, and concerns over public servants leaving for the private sector.
• To be effective, a secondment programme should be co-funded, last between 9 and 18 months per individual, and be maintained as a systemic process for 5 to 10 years.

APA

van Onselen, J. (2017). CAN WORKPLACE SECONDMENTS BUILD TRUST IN THE MINING SECTOR? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-159.pdf

Chicago

van Onselen, Jessica. CAN WORKPLACE SECONDMENTS BUILD TRUST IN THE MINING SECTOR? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2017. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-159.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van Onselen |first1=Jessica |title=CAN WORKPLACE SECONDMENTS BUILD TRUST IN THE MINING SECTOR? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-159.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vanonselen2017can, author = {van Onselen, Jessica}, title = {{CAN WORKPLACE SECONDMENTS BUILD TRUST IN THE MINING SECTOR?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Policy-Briefing-159.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }