Schauraum

Winter 2015/16
Master Abschlussarbeit

Lisa Seiler
living at the golden dumps - A remediation framework for reprocessed gold mining deposits in Johannesburg

In times of technological advance and the world’s increasing need of declining resources, mining waste is an ongoing serious threat. While it was long withhold in the past, contamination of soil and arising health risks are one of todays most urgent topics, not just for social and environmental organizations. Induced by demand and increasing market price, the so called re-mining of gold mining dumps got profitable in the 1970’s. The re-mining process includes the extraction of mining waste material and transportation to proceeding plants where gold particles and byproducts like uranium, silver or nickel are separated from the soil. South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg emerged as a result of gold mining in 1886 and grew rapidly along or even on top of mining dumps. The current incidents in Johannesburg reveal how past mining and latest re-mining activities affect people in communities, environment and cityscape. The identity feature of the city will disappear. The question is, will this development bring weal by eliminating the source of contamination, or even bring woe through polluting and leaving large areas with unprotected soil behind?