Sustainable social development in the South African mining sector

Freek Cronje and Charity Chenga

Development Southern Africa, 2009, vol. 26, issue 3, 413-427

Abstract: For decades South Africa's mining sector has been profiteering while neglecting mining communities' development needs. Most of these communities now have social problems. Recently, forces outside the sector - globalisation, the government, the communities themselves - have pressured the mining organisations to become corporate citizens; that is, to take on social responsibilities and work towards sustainable development in their areas. However, this study revealed a gap between policy and practice: social responsibility and real sustainable development do not reach the communities. This article suggests some critical underlying factors that must be dealt with to close this gap: acculturation stress, power relationships, communication and priorities, and identifying who takes responsibility for various facets of development. The article is based on a study of how stakeholders view community development needs. It makes two main recommendations: a process approach to corporate social responsibility and development rather than 'quick fixes', and proper community engagement initiatives.

Keywords: Community engagement; corporate social responsibility; social development; sustainable development; mining communities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1080/03768350903086788

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