ABSTRACT
Relative to global standards, mechanisation rates in the southern African mining industry remain relatively low, and workforce numbers high. The long-term availability and stability of the labour force is therefore of paramount concern to the mining industry. This chapter assesses the potential financial and operational implications of HIV/AIDS in the mining industry in southern Africa. It describes the existing scale of the epidemic in the population and workforce as well as the industry's response, and also assesses potential costs and longer-term outlook. The chapter presents the financial analysis that suggests that in the near term HIV/AIDS is not a key differentiating factor regarding the decision to invest in southern African mining versus the rest of the world. In the longer term, however, this may cease to be the case—HIV/AIDS will remain an issue that cannot be dismissed.
