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Article History

Received: 14 May 2025

Accepted: 18 May 2026

First Online: 28 May 2026

Competing interests

: I would like to declare that I am employed by Thungela Resources as a Regional Social Performance Manager. Before this, I have been employed by Mafube Coal (50/50 Joint Venture between Thungela Resources and Exarro Resources Mpumalanga) since 2015 as an environmental officer and started my role as Social Performance Specialist in 2017. This was when I was introduced to the different Resettlement projects of the company. I was involved in the Livelihood Restoration Monitoring of the 2007 and 2016 resettlement and became part of the project Team that undertook the 2021 resettlement project. By becoming a Regional Social Performance Manager, I have taken the role of heading the current resettlement project. Through my various experiences, I have acquired different skills ranging from environmental management to stakeholder engagement and management of stakeholder relations and expectations. My background and experience with the study site and its communities posed several potential biases to the collection and analysis of data. This may have also resulted in missed perceptions and interpretations from the participants. However, I have constantly reminded myself to reflect on the objectives of this study and to interpret the data objectively. I understand that I have never been resettled, however, I have taken part in many resettlement projects, including the monitoring phases of resettlement. This provided me with an insider/outsider perspective as I have obtained background knowledge of the community, their language, and their cultural background. My interview questions were informed by the objectives of the study, and I refrained from commenting about the mining company to avoid diluting the intention of the study and influencing the responses from the participants. The identity of Mafube Coal and the participants was kept confidential, and the research is used for academic purposes only.

: The name of the institutional and/or licensing committee that approved the research is the Tshwane University of Technology Research Ethics Committee (REC Reference Number: REC/2022/02/014; see Supplementary Materials: Research Ethics Committee). Confirmation of local approval where the research was conducted in multiple countries was obtained from the Mine (See Supplementary Materials – Confirmation to Conduct Research). Confirmation that all research was performed in accordance with relevant named guidelines and regulations was obtained from the Tshwane University of Technology Research Ethics Committee guidelines (attached REC approval – See Supplementary Materials - Research Ethics Committee).

: Information leaflet and a consent form were shared with participants (attached as supplementary material: Informed Consent). It was highlighted that participation is voluntary and confidential and that participants can withdraw without any consequences. The participants signed the consent form to demonstrate their agreement to participate in the study and to have their interviews audio-recorded.