In South Africa the conversation around infrastructure often focuses on roads, rail, bridges and power grids. But another form of infrastructure exists, less visible, less tangible, yet just as vital to the future of our economy: wellness.
As ESG shifts from a compliance checkbox to a boardroom priority, South African companies, especially in extractive industries, must confront a difficult truth — infrastructure that doesn’t support people is not sustainable.
The future of mining’s social licence to operate will not be secured through compliance alone. It will be earned through investment in the health, cohesion and dignity of the communities where we mine.
Wellness — physical, mental and social — is not a soft issue. It is economic infrastructure.
Across the world, governments and businesses are learning that wellness activation is a cost-effective, high-impact driver of economic growth. In the US, the Blue Zones Project has helped cities such as Fort Worth redesign neighbourhoods around health. Planting trees, improving walkability and offering community exercise has cut health-care costs by up to 40% over a decade, increased workforce productivity and improved mental health outcomes.
In Japan, rural towns are using wellness tourism as a strategy to reverse economic decline and youth migration. These examples challenge the old assumption that wellness is cosmetic. In truth, it’s catalytic.
The future of social investment in mining must go beyond compliance and calls for a new kind of leadership, one that sees a street race, a public mural, a community yoga class or a music festival as legitimate economic tools
The mining industry in South Africa contributed R6.3bn to socioeconomic development in 2023 and invested more than R1bn in enterprise and supplier development, supporting 3,000+ small businesses and sustaining 22,000 jobs. These are meaningful contributions. But the hard question remains: how much of this is visible? How much is felt?
Over the years, mining companies have built vital infrastructure in communities, including clinics, schools and sports facilities, often under pressure and in challenging environments. These investments remain critical but without ongoing activation, ownership and relevance, even the best infrastructure can become underused, because communities need movement, purpose, and occasion. They need reasons to believe in the place they live.
At the very moment wellness should be scaling, the global trend is moving in the opposite direction. In 2023, global corporate community investment by mining companies dropped by nearly 27% from $3.49bn (R62bn) to $2.55bn, according to the ESG Mining Company Index. Even majors such as Vale cut spending 60%. At the same time, AI and automation are transforming how mines operate in some cases, requiring reduced day-to-day community interaction or a reduced workforce. A recent foresight report warns: “AI-powered mining without deliberate community engagement risks deepening inequality and eroding the social licence to operate.”
As the JSE tightens ESG disclosure rules, and 65% of South African institutional investors demand meaningful social impact metrics, businesses can’t afford to reduce visibility, engagement or relevance. In this context, ESG is no longer about proving what was spent. It’s about demonstrating what changed, like mining companies in Chile and Peru that have built community wellbeing into the heart of their ESG strategy by launching public fitness spaces, maternal health support systems and youth-driven mental health initiatives. We, too, must begin to see that these initiatives are not feel-good gestures; they are strategic risk mitigation tools in regions where reputational damage has financial consequences.
The future of social investment in mining must go beyond compliance and calls for a new kind of leadership, one that sees a street race, a public mural, a community yoga class or a music festival as legitimate economic tools. One that understands that in a town where nothing happens, something happening matters more than you think. Wellness is infrastructure. And for mining towns across South Africa, it may be the most important investment we can make. I am greatly inspired by Kigali’s monthly car-free day, which turns roads into open-air gyms and markets. It began as a public health initiative. Today, it is a core part of Rwanda’s national health and urban identity strategy and is endorsed by the WHO and aligned with national development goals.
With this in mind, we have started reimagining how this works. In Ba-Phalaborwa, a mining town often left off national media maps, we have helped co-create the F21 Half Marathon, a midday race under the unforgiving Limpopo sun. It is not just a sporting event; it is a stimulus.
In towns where opportunity feels distant and headlines seldom arrive, it provides the chance to gather, to earn, to be seen and to feel part of something. And maybe that’s the point of future-smart investment. In the end, momentum is more powerful than any single investment.
• Morotoba is the COO of Foskor, the state-owned phosphate producer
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