Paper short abstract:

“Waiting in a Platinum City” –is a documentary film produced by Joseph Mujere in collaboration with Simon Gush and News from Home . It uses waiting as a lens to explore the everyday struggles of residents of informal settlements on the margins of platinum mines in Rustenburg, South Africa.

Paper long abstract:

“Waiting in a Platinum City” – is a documentary film produced by Dr Joseph Mujere in collaboration with Simon Gush and News from Home. The documentary film uses waiting as a lens through which to explore the everyday struggles of residents of informal settlements on the margins of platinum mines in Rustenburg town in South Africa. It demonstrates how waiting is a key feature of residents’ encounters with mining companies, the local municipality as well as grassroots structures in their struggles over jobs and basic amenities. The documentary film captures how waiting in informal settlements is not characterized by passive acquiescence but is often an engaged activity that is informed by residents’ reflexive responses to the different structures and regimes of waiting. The documentary film demonstrates how visual methods such as collaborative documentary films can enhance our understanding of experiences of mining communities.