Rural-Urban Linkages Facilitated By the Mining Sector in South Africa

摘要: There is an increasing amount of literature that addresses the significance of linkages between urban and rural areas in South Africa, especially in terms of economic growth, since rural areas1 are largely marginalised due to the histories of colonial and apartheid eras (Atkinson, 2014). Rural-urban linkages or interdependencies can refer to spatial and sectoral flows that occur between rural and urban areas (Tacoli, 1998; Bah et al., 2003; Von Braun, 2007). Spatial flows between rural and urban areas include flows of people, finances, capital, services and infrastructure (Bah et al., 2003; Von Braun, 2007). Sectoral flows on the other hand include flows of agricultural products from rural to urban areas and the flow of goods manufactured in urban areas going to rural areas (Caffyn and Dahlström, 2005; Von Braun, 2007).The recognition of linkages is crucial due to the recognition that in the 21st century, factors that distinguish what is termed ‘rural’and what is termed ‘urban’in countries like South Africa are increasingly becoming obscure. Moreover, industrial growth in many developing countries relies on backward and forward linkages between rural and urban economic sectors. The Global Monitoring Report (GRI, 2010) and the Agricultural and Rural Convention 2020 also highlight the role of rural-urban linkages in poverty reduction and the promotion of sustainable development and growth in developing countries (Akkoyunlu, 2015). At the local level, rural-urban