ABSTRACT
Historically, mineworker housing has been a key field in the political economy of South Africa. While the mining charter originally emphasised a mix of tenure options to allow mineworkers to select a solution that is best suited to their situation, the balance of housing policy and, especially, practice, has emphasised ownership. This is in contradiction to the literature on mining towns and mineworker housing, which emphasises the transitory nature of resource extraction and the vulnerable position in which it places mineworkers. While the housing market will attempt to self-regulate, its ability to do so is constrained by the low levels of capital that are generally present in mining areas. Low levels of capacity together with an absence of resources hamstring local government in their interventions, thereby affecting especially the lower-income families. While mines are generally willing to step in as regards the provision of housing to their employees, they prefer interventions that reduce their long-term investment and commitment. Concurrently, there has been a burgeoning of outsourcing due to the labour practices of mines. This creates a body of workers who, being on the periphery of the focus of both government and the mines, are frequently subject to new forms of exclusion and deprivation.
