Why communities pay for miningMining-affected communities react while wearing face masks during a protest outside Anglo American's headquarters in Johannesburg. AFPLast week, policymakers and industry executives of mining companies gathered in Cape Town for the annual African Mining Indaba. When mining companies exit a country, the costs do not disappear; they are transferred to local communities. Across South Africa, mining companies have generated tens of billions of dollars in profits while delivering only negligible benefits to host communities. Governments, many of them under fiscal pressure, compete to attract foreign investment, while mining companies retain the ultimate leverage: the option to leave.

Source: Bangkok Post February 19, 2026 02:07 UTC