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This thesis attempts to analyse the influences of changes in demand for British Columbia's mining labour upon the wage rates and employment of British Columbia's mining industry. The competitive elements of British Columbia's mining industry suggests that changes of wage rates and employment will be sharply affected by changes of metal prices. The theoretical effects of a change of metal prices indicate that the industry's output varies in the same direction as metal price changes. Furthermore, it is expected that employment will vary directly with output changes. Therefore, the number of labourers employed should vary directly with metal price changes. The trends of employment of British Columbia's mining labour and metal prices are studied to evaluate these theoretical expectancies. As an element of demand for British Columbia mining labour, the level of metal prices is expected to influence wage rates of British Columbia's mining labour. Wage rates have increased in every year of the twelve year period but one, while metal prices have fluctuated over the period. These phenomena provide questions for further analysis. The second major topic of the thesis is concerned with influences of changes of productivity of British Columbia's mining labour upon wage rates and employment. The first task is to describe concepts of productivity of mining labour and then to determine the meaning of a productivity index. Following this, the meaning of a change in the productivity index must be described as the productivity of mining labour has varied considerably over the twelve year period. The trends of the differentials of employment and the differentials of labour's productivity suggest that an inverse relationship exists between these variables. This relationship is evaluated and its similarity to a theoretical average product curve is described. However, the relationship between the trends of wage rates and mining labour's productivity provides little evidence of any association of these variables. It is suggested that if the changes of mining labour's productivity have influenced wage rates, then this influence has been hidden by other factors of wage determination. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2016 / The Precious Metals Industry in South Africa is highly-regulated compared with other mining and trading countries in the western world which have either deregulated their precious metals industries, have only partial controls or have never seen the need to regulate gold and platinum-group metals specifically. South Africa has a specific Act of parliament, the Precious Metals Act, 2005 (a modification of Chapter 16 of the Mining Rights Act, 1967), that regulates possession, trading and manufacture of precious metals. Apart from the Russian Federation, no other country in the world regulates gold and platinum-group metals possession, trading and fabrication to the extent still done in South Africa. The requirement for such stringent controls was based on the country’s pre-eminence in the production of gold and platinum over the past fifty years, exchange controls (in the case of gold) and the contribution of gold and platinum-group metals to foreign exchange earnings and to the country’s economy as a whole. However, much has changed in South Africa, in the world and indeed in the precious metals industries domestically and globally and this work is the first attempt to discuss and analyse developments and proposals that are impacting on the regulation of the precious metals industries in South Africa. Of these, the World Gold Council’s Conflict-Free Gold Standard provides a case for industry self- regulation to complement, or substitute for government regulation in future. The hypothesis at the Proposal Stage of this study was that the precious metals industry in South Africa is over-regulated and should be deregulated. In this study, this hypothesis is explored and debated. The Resource Nationalism -motivated proposals, including Producer-Country Price for Platinum, OPEC-type trade bloc for platinum, precious metal exchange and single-channel marketing of platinum, were analysed in this study. It was concluded that these are wanting in terms of cost/benefit or problematic in terms of international agreements and trade and competition laws. iii The Precious Metals Act, 2005 itself was also critically analysed with a view to evaluating what could be regulated better or deregulated in the light of recent developments and proposals. It was found, ironically, that the old problem of illegal mining and trading needs to be brought under control before deregulation of the precious metals industry can begin. Nevertheless, in the run-up to deregulation (in an estimated 10 to 15 years), industry self-regulation, co-regulation (with industry) hallmarking, and a re-examination of how beneficiation is promoted should be considered.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering Johannesburg 2015 / Regardless of the strategic role that mining plays in South Africa‟s economic growth and development, there are perceptions that mining benefits are still enjoyed by a few elite individuals. This is partly due to high expectations from lower level workers in the sector and communities where mining takes place. Failures in the implementation of some of the policies that are social in nature are making people question the wisdom of the current mining legislation, the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA). The main question of this research paper is whether the MPRDA, in its current form, is a suitable mining legislative framework that can usher a better dispensation for all or whether there is a need to overhaul it in order to deliver the desired end results that are expected by the majority of South Africans. It is against this background that this research was undertaken, by studying best practice in other mining jurisdictions and conducting a survey of those involved in the South African mining sector. From the research and surveys, recommendations are proposed on what amendments could be effected on the MPRDA to make the South African mining sector more attractive and simultaneously, meet the citizens‟ expectations.

Elinor Ostrom (2005: 238) assumes that in understanding the make up and behaviour of institutional systems governing natural resources: “Resource users are explicitly thought of as rational egoists who plunder local resources so as to maximise their own short-term benefits. Government officials are implicitly depicted, on the other hand, as seeking, the more general public interest, having the relevant information at hand and the capability of designing optimal policies.” This thesis examines the validity of this assumption through an historical analysis of the deep-level gold mining industry of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. The main focus of the assessment is on the institutions of ownership – that is, the development of mining rights and title legislation between 1886 and 2008. The study looks at the legislations’ transformation and implementation from the perspective of the gold mining industry – made up of the mining finance houses and the Chamber of Mines of South Africa – and that of the state. The transformation of the mining industry’s institutional framework was both a choice by government as well as that of the firms in the mining industry. The theoretical framework is constructed from four areas of economic thought. These include: the neoclassical and Keynesian schools of macroeconomic thought; industrial organisation and its relevance to the relationship between firms and the market; institutional and new institutional economics; and finally property rights. The determinants of policy design and the impact of such design on firms and industry is examined. The development, implementation and use of the aforementioned legislation is examined from two perspectives, namely, that of preserver or exploiter. Throughout the history of this prominent South African industry, the motivation for action from the industry or government has oscillated between the two extremes of preserver or exploiter over the time period examined. The conclusion is drawn on an overall and broad focus of actions – with a strong focus on the most recent developments in mining legislation – post-1992.