ABSTRACT
When industrial-scale mining in South Africa started during the 19th century, migratory labour became a fundamental part of the process. This situation holds true even today, one in which internal and external migrants are essential to mining operations countrywide. The vast literature on migration and mining puts forward a number of theories to explain migration, including the neoclassical and structuralist theories. Following neoclassical theory, this chapter recognises the role of individual agency and thus the ability of prospective migrant mineworkers to react to what mines offer them in terms of wages and livelihoods. The chapter, however, argues that the structuralist view that power relations in society drive labour migration seems more plausible. Individual agency should therefore be understood as a constrained agency, the limits of which are set by the broad structural forces that shape migration.
