Bester, Vidette (PhD)
Vidette Bester hails from Piet Plessis in the North West Province of South Africa. She completed her MA degree in Development Studies at the North-West University. She has worked as social researcher in the mining sector in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also collaborating with the Bench Marks Foundation. She is an advisor to mining companies, with experience in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility and Compliance. She began her doctoral journey at the University of Johannesburg in 2017, and presented initial findings at the International Sociological Association conference in Toronto, Canada, in 2018. This study explored unregulated artisanal mining (Zama-Zamas) in South Africa, and the role that mining companies could play in developing the sector. Through uncovering the misconceptions, challenges and drivers of this marginalised and criminalised sector, the findings suggest that a wider engagement around artisanal mining is required. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) offered particular possibilities for developing artisanal mining. The candidate developed a comprehensive CSR framework that provides practical initiatives aimed at facilitating the regulation of artisanal mining, improving the working conditions of artisanal miners, and the safety of women and children in the sector. The framework can also help mitigate the risks posed to the formal sector, including the formal workforce, the social impacts of artisanal mining, including violence, and its environmental impact, including mercury exposure. Developing the artisanal mining sector could potentially result in wide-ranging opportunities for historically disadvantaged South Africans to benefit from the country’s mineral resources.
Supervisor: Prof JM Uys Co-Supervisor: Dr L Groenewald
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