Community adult literacy – the missing link in SLPs
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02-07-2026
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Mining’s Social and Labour Plans (SLPs) are increasingly expected to deliver lasting social value that extends beyond infrastructure projects. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities such as skills development, dignity, productive work opportunities and collaboration are recognised as key enablers of sustainable communities. Against this backdrop, community-based adult literacy programmes represent an important investment in long-term social and economic resilience.
However, while skills development is standard practice inside the mine fence, extending it to surrounding communities continues to present significant implementation challenges, says Marco Maree, Training & Development Expert at Triple E Training. The company is a leading provider of adult literacy and numeracy training for mine employees and communities within mining operations’ areas of influence, supporting the human resources development requirements of SLPs.
“If you look at the records of accredited training providers, thousands of rural South Africans are being certified in basic literacy every year through mine-funded programmes,” he says. “However, independent research by organisations such as the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) shows that these programmes often fail to reach the scale envisaged during the initial mine planning stages.”
CALS analysed 50 SLPs and found significant weaknesses in how they were designed to deliver meaningful benefits to mine-affected communities. One of the report’s key conclusions is that mining communities frequently experienced little or no meaningful social or economic benefit from SLP commitments. This is despite SLPs being legally binding obligations that are reviewed and renewed every five years. The researchers concluded that meaningful reform required “a radical overhaul of the system”.
Meanwhile, civil society audits have also highlighted serious compliance shortcomings in community-facing SLPs. A landmark report by Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) audited multiple mining operations and found that up to 75% of committed SLP community funds were either unaccounted for or falsely reported as delivered.
Creating the conditions for human wellbeing and dignity
Maree notes that ESG is about far more than environmental performance.
“It is about creating the conditions for human wellbeing and dignity,” he says. “Skills development is one of the key enablers alongside governance, energy, water, safety, infrastructure and innovation.”
Desired outcomes include reducing poverty and inequality, building dignity and self-respect, promoting gender inclusion, creating productive work opportunities and improving human wellbeing.
“These objectives align directly with community adult literacy initiatives, which equip adults with the foundational skills needed to participate more fully in the economy and society,” Maree says.
Looking beyond the life of the mine, SLPs must contribute to building self-sustaining economies, attracting investment, creating diversified industries and strengthening long-term regional resilience. He says that too often, discussions around mine closure focus on rehabilitating land and meeting regulatory obligations. “Insufficient attention is given to whether surrounding communities are equipped to sustain themselves economically once mining ends,” he says. “Lasting closure planning is not only about restoring the environment; it is also about ensuring people have the skills to build new livelihoods.”
He notes that foundational literacy and numeracy facilitate further training, adaptation to new industries and participation in emerging economic opportunities. “In this sense, adult literacy should be viewed not merely as a social intervention, but as essential economic infrastructure that helps communities build sustainable livelihoods long after mining has ceased.”
Long-term development initiatives
Community-based adult literacy programmes often struggle to achieve lasting impact because they are treated as compliance exercises rather than long-term development initiatives.
Many programmes prioritise enrolment over measurable outcomes, while weak links between literacy training and employment opportunities contribute to high dropout rates. Delivery models are frequently ill-suited to the realities of disadvantaged communities, with barriers such as transport costs, childcare responsibilities and unreliable electricity limiting participation.
“Limited community involvement in programme design can also undermine trust and participation, particularly where mining companies are perceived to be prioritising compliance over meaningful local development,” says Maree.
He notes that investigative tracking by groups like Oxpeckers shows that community literacy programmes are frequently designed by corporate consultants with zero local input. “Communities are often unaware that these free adult training opportunities even exist within a mine’s SLP budget,” he says.
Budget pressures also tend to shift investment towards upskilling existing employees, leaving community literacy initiatives vulnerable to cuts.
By contrast, mining companies consistently invest in workforce development, with many allocating the required 5% of annual payroll to skills development, making foundational literacy an essential stepping stone for career progression and promotion.
Having successfully implemented many adult literacy programmes for both mining companies and mine-affected communities, Maree says internal employee literacy initiatives are well established because modern, mechanised mining relies on skilled employees. “They must be able to read digital displays, complete safety documentation and follow increasingly complex operating procedures,” he says.
These programmes, he adds, are further reinforced by strict occupational health and safety requirements, as inadequate literacy can increase both legal liability and workplace risk.
A fundamental ESG investment
Maree believes adult literacy should not be viewed as a standalone education programme, but as one of the most fundamental ESG investments a mining company can make.
Successful community-based adult literacy programmes also require collaboration across the public and private sectors.
“Effective SLP implementation depends on strong relationships, collaboration and shared responsibility,” he says. “For literacy initiatives to deliver lasting impact, they should be developed through partnerships between all stakeholders.”
These include mining companies, municipalities, community organisations, Sector Education and Training Authorities, Umalusi-accredited training providers and non-governmental organisations. He says, “Such partnerships help ensure programmes are aligned with local priorities and supported by a broad stakeholder base.”
Maree reinforces the need to focus on quality first as opposed to numbers. “Focusing on a few high-impact Sustainable Development Goals can create multiplier effects, making adult literacy one of the most valuable investments under an SLP,” he says
Beyond teaching reading and writing, literacy equips adults to access employment opportunities, pursue further education and skills training, improve their financial literacy, support their children’s learning and participate more actively in local economic development.
“As a result, a single community-based literacy programme can contribute to several social and economic development objectives simultaneously, delivering benefits that extend well beyond the classroom,” he says.
He notes that community adult literacy is one of the most enduring investments a mine can make. “Infrastructure may improve how communities live today, but literacy equips people with the skills to shape their own futures. When communities can read, learn and participate fully in the economy, the benefits extend far beyond the life of the mine,” he concludes.
For more information please contact:
David Poggiolini
Debbie Poggiolini
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