SATRI Research Outputs

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The 4IR and the promotion of women working in the South African mining sector
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2019-07-17) Kaggwa, Martin; Nchabeleng, Mpho
Women employment is a key factor to any country’s development – Women are a resource available for a country to engage in productive activities The post-1994 South African government has been pro-active in coming up with legislation to encourage women employment in formal sectors of the economy Specific to mining, government came up with a Mining Charter that specifies women employment targets in the sector. Despite the women progressive legislation, women still face challenges working in the sector. The emergence of 4IR would either reduce or add onto this challenges - This is the aspect of research interest presented in this paper.
Can mining, sustainable development and mitigating effects of climate change be mutually inclusive? A reflection on South Africa’s situation
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2016) Kaggwa, Martin
Central to Sustainable Development (SD) is the improvement of people’s welfare in perpetuity SD is based on the understanding that development of any country depletes a country’s resources needed to sustain it Implementation of development initiatives often has unintended negatives developing over time such as climate change Achieving higher levels of economic growth is a necessarily but not sufficient condition for SD To achieve SD, natural-resource rich countries have to exploit these resources to trigger the required economic growth! Exploiting the natural resources is inherently non-sustainable
Challenges Facing Women In The Mining, Energy And Construction Sectors: Survey Report (Highveld, North East And The Eastern Cape Regions)
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2015-07-28) Kaggwa, Martin
The Concept of a Just Transition is as Relevant to the Fourth Industrial Revolution as it is for the Move towards a Low Carbon Economy
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2020) Kaggwa, Martin; Sithole, Sinenhlanhla
Two parallel developments are taking place in Africa, that are of key significance to workers. The first one is the concerted effort to move the national economies from depending on fossil-based energy to a clean low-carbon energy. The second is the continents gradual embrace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Organized labour has been active, in some countries like South Africa in engaging parties advocating for and implementing the transition to low-carbon economies to ensure that the interests of workers and communities are taken care of and are not sacrificed in the transition. Organized labour refers to the process of energy transition that takes into account the interests of workers and workers’ communities as ‘a just transition’. Regarding the 4IR, organized labour has not yet come up with a clear and consensus-based position on how to deal with the revolution. Organized labour’s position on 4IR can at best be described as a work in progress. Against this background, and in recognition of the need for organized labour to urgently engage with the 4IR phenomenon, this article makes the case that worker-related tenets of a just transition in the energy sector also apply to a migration to the 4IR economy. As such, organized labour should form a common position demanding a just transition to the 4IR. The proposal of what should constitute a just transition to the 4IR should mirror that of the just transition to a low-carbon economy as articulated in the International Labour Organisations (ILO’s) Decent Work Agenda. In particular it should include, social dialogue, social protection, rights at work and employment creation and protection.
Contextualising of Organised Labour’s Position on Carbon Tax in South Africa Using a Qualitative System Dynamics Model
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2016) Kaggwa, Martin
The South African government planned to introduce a carbon tax from 2013 as part of its efforts to reduce pollution levels emanating from domestic economic activities. The position of organised labour has, however, ranged from outright rejection to requests for a delay in implementation of the policy until employment safe-guards are put in place. Organised labour felt strongly that a carbon tax would have a negative impact on local employment. This paper examines the validity of organised labours’ concerns on possible job losses using a qualitative system dynamics approach. A case is made that despite being set at low levels, the carbon tax has potential to negatively affect competitiveness of firms in the long term. The potential job loss from the carbon tax will not necessarily be a result of increases in the immediate operational costs of firms, but rather from the loss of firms’ competitiveness in the long term. It is recommended that the implementation of the carbon tax be put on hold until safe-guards to local employment are put in place. One of the possible safeguards is to ensure that local manufacturers have access to low cost but clean production technologies that do not substitute the local labour force but rather supplement its productivity.
Contextualizing of Organized Labour Position on Carbon Tax in South Africa using a Qualitative System Dynamics Model
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2015-07) Kaggwa, Martin
South Africa (SA) Carbon Tax Policy (CTP): structure and arguments for and against The conventional one way causal model of SA’s Carbon Tax Policy SA Carbon Tax Policy as Qualitative System Dynamics (SD) Model Insights from SA’s CTP articulated as SD Model Conclusion and recommendations
Dealing with Uncertainty: System Dynamics Approach for Modelling SA’s Response to COVID-19
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2020-08-20) Sam Tambani Research Institute; Kaggwa, Martin
Background to COVID-19 Modelling in SA  What is Systems Dynamics Modelling  Basics of Systems Dynamics Modelling  Why Systems Dynamic in modelling SA Response to Covid-19 ?
Demystifying 4IR for workers and how to approach the phenomenon
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2019-12-05) Kaggwa, Martin
What is 4IR?  Elements of 4IR and implications to the world of work  Employment and workeremployer dynamics under previous IRs  Opportunities and risks to workers of 4IR technologies  How should organised labour respond to 4IR
A Just Transition for the 4IR: The way to go for Labour?
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2019) Kaggwa, Martin; Sithole, Sinenhlanhla
 For a long time labour has been engaged in the discussion of a Just Transition in the energy space  Recently labour has been engaged with the 4IR  As labour grapples with the Just Transition in energy, it also has to face the challenges posed by the 4IR
Modelling the Effect of Carbon Tax on high emission sectors employment using a System Dynamics Model
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2016-11-17) Kaggwa, Martin
Global warming is no longer a contested phenomenon –the issue is how to deal with it! SA government recognizes that the country is vulnerable to effects of climate change. Introduction of a CT is one of the policy interventions by SA government to mitigate global warming. Position of organized labour on the introduction of a CT has ranged from outright rejection to requesting delay in its implementation. Impact of a CT on employment in South Africa still uncertain. As a contribution to the debate, a SD is used to model the effect of CT on employment in high emission sectors.
A systems dynamics approach to understanding the biofuels socio-technical transition.
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2016) Stafford, W; Simelane, T; Kaggwa, Martin; Mutanga, Shingirirai
Biofuels are renewable energy sources that are alternatives to petroleum fossil-fuels. Since energy is a domestic necessity and also a factor of production (enabling a variety of services such as transportation, heating, and food production), the widespread production and use of biofuels can facilitate low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive economic development. However, biofuels do not automatically deliver these development benefits. If managed incorrectly, biomass can be harvested at unsustainable rates, cause increases in emissions and environmental pollution, displace food security and livelihoods, and increase poverty. Therefore, appropriate management and governance will be needed to ensure that the biofuels transition is tailored to the local social, economic, and ecological context. Responding to this challenge dictates that new concepts and research tools be applied to represent and model complex systems. In addition, a multi-level perspective is needed to reveal the scale and levels of hierarchy in the system and understand the biofuels market uptake and diffusion. This chapter uses System Dynamics tools and a multi-level approach in order to reveal the various factors that will influence the transition to a biofuels socio-technical system, and to identify components that will regulate the behaviour of the biofuels system. Different stages of the biofuels system (biofuel feedstock production, biofuels production, and biofuels market uptake) were analysed using Causal loop diagrams in order to identify influencing variables and reveal important regulating feedback loops that determine the systems behaviour. This revealed that the transition to a sustainable biofuels future would require a spectrum of wide interrelated changes. The multidimensional shift from the current fossil based regime to a biofuels regime will require changes in technology, markets, user practices, social and cultural preference, policy and governance. Considering the established petroleum dependency of the existing energy system, the transition to a biofuels future will need a coordinated and systems approach so that biofuels contribute to a new green economy and a sustainable development pathway.
Union and business efforts to increase productivity in the mining sector: A critical Reflection
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2016-02) Kaggwa, Martin
The aim of this paper is to examine the practicality of how mineworkers, organised under a trade union, can participate in employers’ productivity-increasing initiatives in a mutually beneficial way in South Africa. A critical analysis of the concept of productivity and its practical application in the mining business environment, including the aspect of relationship dynamics between mineworkers and employers is done. It is highlighted that defining productivity in the sector is subjective and characterised by information asymmetry in favour of the employers. Moreover, low productivity has frequently been used as a reason against mineworkers’ quest for higher wages; as a result, the concept is viewed with suspicion by mineworkers. For a trade union to aggressively encourage its members to participate in productivity initiatives at the workplace, it needs to get some assurance that its members will benefit from the resultant increase in productivity. This will require that mineworkers and employers have a prior agreement on the definition of productivity, the parameters to measure it, and the extent to which a change in productivity will influence workers’ wages and benefits. Given the precedent of mineworkers’ exploitation and the existing trust deficit between parties in South Africa’s mining sector, the onus lies on the side of mining businesses to demonstrate and convince unions that the productivity initiatives are not just another tool to exploit workers. Otherwise, there is no doubt that increased productivity can be beneficial for both mining businesses and mineworkers
What is it about and how should Organised Labour?
(2019) Kaggwa, Martin; Sam Tambani Research Institute
Industrial Revolution (IR): A fundamental change in the way production of goods and services is conducted The 4thIndustrial Revolution (4IR): A change in the way production of goods and services is conducted characterised by high technology and less human involvement –More details later Because 4IR has far reaching implication to employment, organised labour need to have a position on it. The presentation summarises characteristics of the different IRs, their
Young Workers Facing the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(Sam Tambani Research Institute, 2019) Kaggwa, Martin
What is 4IR?  What does 4IR entail?  Opportunities and risks to young workers of 4IR technologies (Esp. MEC)  Has Covid-19 fast-tracked 4IR?  How should organised young workers respond to 4IR?

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