In 2019, Corporate Social Responsibility News South Africa spoke to just over 150 CSI managers overseeing a combined budget of well over ZAR10 billion. We were invited to cover 100 celebratory launches, projects, workshops and conferences, we spoke to or corresponded with the managers and staff of about 500 NGOs and NPOs, and we had numerous conversations with consultants, academics, scholars, entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs.
All of this contact with key players in South African social development yielded some strong impressions on the state of the CSI industry. If there is one thing that CSRNEWSSA has full view of, it is the general picture of corporate social investment in South Africa – due to the nature of our work.
Our deep immersion in the challenges, successes and failures of CSI as currently practiced in South Africa puts us in a position to reflect to the industry just exactly what is going on – or as close to exactly as is possible in this ever-fluctuating arena.
Hence, South Africa’s Corporate Social Responsibility State of the Industry Review.
The review is based on data gathered from a variety of sources, including our own July 2019 survey, Stats SA, trusted industry partners and the numerous communications listed above.
This review is just a general overview that we report on based on corporate performance in relation to legislation – BBBEE legislation and the Companies Act 71 of 2008 – and in relation to the principle of corporate responsibility, clearly laid out in the King Report. The principle of responsibility applies to all companies, large or small, and has become an integral aspect of sound business practice globally. It is particularly relevant in a South Africa still suffering a skewed socio-economic landscape as a result of apartheid.
We examine the facts in light of our experience and insight, borne of over twenty years’ close involvement in CSI.
Our hope is that this review will be a window through which CSI practitioners can examine the overall picture of CSI in South Africa and benchmark their own place in the spectrum of dysfunctional to mature CSI models. Three roleplayers shape the state of corporate social responsibility in our country:
- The developer (the company)
- The agent (the NGO or NPO)
- The community
Welcome to South Africa’s Corporate Social Responsibility State of the Industry Review
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