This project was established with the aim of assessing the extent of the development of new mining communities and the extent to which sport has been involved in the development of new communities around the Witbank district. The development of this project was an endeavour to understand the extent of change in settlement practices of miners, a subject on which there is not much academic literature. From the earlier settlement of small-scale farmers in Witbank, coal mining sprouted. Until the 1980s, a large number of African workers on these mines were migrant labourers housed in single-sex compounds. When the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) called for the abolition of hostels, the migrant system was seriously affected. With the decline of the migrant labour system, mine workers’ families have been settling with them in units located on or close to the mines. As compounds were converted into family units, African workers tasted the freedom of living with their families. The move from hostels to houses has led to the development of new ‘normal’ communities; ‘normal’ in the sense that they comprise men, women and children. The research shows that the development of new communities has not been automatic, but one that has relied, in particular, on the self-activity of the miners and their families, though often with support from colliery managers. As in the UK and US, various institutions have been involved in developing mining communities, and this study focuses on one of these, a sports association, specifically the Mpumalanga Collieries’ Human Resources Association (MCHRA). Whilst in many respects the new mining communities are similar to those considered in the UK and US, apartheid divisions continue to mark the geography of settlement, with class replacing race as the main marker of division. Sport is crucial in the secondary development of these communities; secondary in that it promotes social cohesion rather than gives rise to the emergence of communities. Nonetheless, sport has already shown its importance in Witbank. It does not only allow families to entertain themselves, but also gives the communities some escape-valve mechanism, as it keeps people busy and away from crime, drugs and alcohol abuse. This study provides valuable evidence of ordinary people taking responsibility for new social problems arising in the post-apartheid era, and they are doing this, in particular, through the mechanism of sport. / Prof. Peter Alexander Ms. Claire Ceruti