This chapter discusses the context and practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in South Africa. It argues that the country's complex and painful history has significant implications for how CSR is understood and implemented. On the one hand, big business has been implicated in human rights abuses committed under apartheid; on the other hand, the apartheid history gave rise to early manifestations of voluntary initiatives to contribute to government policy changes and social development. The chapter describes the historical progression of the CSR discourse and practices in South Africa from an emphasis on corporate social investment — philanthropic initiatives especially in education and health — to a more integrated approach focused on sustainable development and linked to collaborative governance initiatives and partnerships. It also discusses the emerging market-based drivers for the increasing prominence of CSR in South Africa, though it also emphasizes the key role played by the government, in particular, in terms of its black economic empowerment (BEE) policies. The second argument of this chapter, therefore, is that in a country like South Africa, CSR cannot be defined purely as voluntary initiatives (as in Europe, for instance) and arguably there are no clear distinctions or divisions between voluntary business actions and state-led interventions. The third and final argument of this chapter is that CSR-related performance assessments and rankings play an important role — and the chapter considers one such assessment in some detail — but they often adopt a relatively superficial perspective on the interactions between companies and their socio-economic and natural environments. In particular, there is a need for more context-specific assessments that take into consideration the complexities of sustainable development at the local level, and this is illustrated by means of a brief discussion of mining companies CSR policies and practices in the Rustenburg area.
Keywords
- Corporate Governance
- Socially Responsible Investment
- Forest Stewardship Council
- United Nations Global Compact
- Collaborative Governance
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anglo American, 2002. Anglo American's Corporate Social Investment in South Africa. London: Anglo American plc.
Anglo Gold, 2002. Anglo Gold Annual Report 2002. Johannesburg: Anglo Gold.
Alperson, M., 1995. Foundations for a New Democracy: Corporate Social Investment in South Africa. Johannesburg: Ravan.
Bezuidenhout, A., Fig, D., Hamann, R. and Omar, R., 2007. “A political economy of corporate social and environmental responsibility in South Africa” in D. Fig (ed.), Staking their claim: corporate social and environmental responsibility in South Africa. Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.
Billiton, B.H.P., 2000. HSE and Communities annual report. London: BHP Billiton.
Black Economic Empowerment Commission (BEECom), 2001. Black Economic Empowerment Commission Report. Johannesburg: Skotaville Press.
Carroll, A.B., 2004. Managing ethically with global stakeholders: A present and future challenge. Academy of Management Executive, 18(2): 114–120.
Chatterji, A. and Levine, D. 2006. Breaking Down the Wall of Codes: Evaluating Non-Financial Performance Measurement, California Management Review, 48(2): 29–51.
CRC (Conflict Resolution Consortium), 2001. Rustenburg/Anglo Platinum Conflict Stabilisation Project. Rustenburg: Conflict Resolution Consortium.
Crush, J., Jeeves, A., and Yudelman, D., 1991. South Africa's Labour Empire: A History of Black Migrancy to the Gold Mines. Cape Town: David Phillip.
DTI (Department of Trade & Industry), 2007. General Notice 112 of 2007 Codes of Good Practice on Black Economic Empowerment Act (9 February 2007).
European Commission, 2001. Promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility — Green Paper. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
Feldberg, M., 1972. Business Profits and Social Responsibility. Inaugural Lecture as Professor of Business Administration, University of Cape Town.
Financial Mail, 2006. Special Report: Accountability Rating South Africa,” October 27, 2006 (available online via http://free.financialmail.co.za/report06/account06/aacc.htm; accessed 11 February 2007).
Flynn, L., 1992. Studded with Diamonds and Paved with Gold: Miners, Mining Companies and Human Rights in Southern Africa. Bloomsbury, London.
Hamann, R., 2004. Corporate social responsibility, partnerships, and institutional change: The case of mining companies in South Africa. Natural Resources Forum, 28(4): 278–290.
Hamann, R. and De Cleene, S., 2005. Promoting South African companies' corporate responsibility in the rest of Africa. South African Journal of International Affairs, 12(2): 127–142.
Hanks, J., Hamann, R. and Sayers, V., 2007. Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa: A description of the CSR landscape, a review of the challenges and some recommendations for the UN Global Compact. Unpublished report.
Jones, J.D.F., 1995. Through Fortress and Rock: The Story of Gencor 1895–1995. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers.
Kapelus, P., Hamann, R. and O'Keefe, E., 2008. Doing business with integrity in weak governance zones: Learning from the experience of AngloGold Ashanti in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. International Social Science Journal, forthcoming.
King Committee on Corporate Governance, 2002. King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2002. Johannesburg: Institute of Directors.
Lipton, M., 1985. Capitalism and Apartheid: South Africa 1910–84. Aldershot: Gower.
Martens, J., 2007. Multistakeholder partnerships — future models of multilateralism? Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
Marzullo, S.G., 1987. American Business in South Africa: The Hard Choices. In S.P. Sethi and C.M. Falbe (eds.), Business and Society: Dimensions of Conflict and Cooperation. Massachusetts: Lexington.
Moodie, T.D., Ndatshe, V., 1994. Going for Gold: Men, Mines, and Migration. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), 2006. OECD Risk Awareness Tool for Multinational Enterprises in Weak Governance Zones, Paris: OECD (available via http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/21/3688521.pdf)
Orkin, M. (ed.), 1989. Sanctions against Apartheid. Cape Town: David Philip.
Pallister, D., Stewart, S., and Leppper, I. 1987. South Africa Inc.; The Oppenheimer Empire. Johannesburg: Media House Publications in association with Lowry Publishers.
Plan Associates, 2001. Greater Rustenburg Informal Housing Strategy (compiled for the Housing Strategy Forum). Unpublished document.
Ponte, S., Roberts, S. and van Sittert, L., 2007. ‘Black Economic Empowerment’, Business and the State in South Africa. Development and Change, 38(5): 933–955.
Rockey, V., 2001. The CSI Handbook 2001. Cape Town: Trialogue.
Rockey, V., 2004. The CSI Handbook 2003. Cape Town: Trialogue.
Rossouw, G.J., 2005. Business ethics and corporate governance in Africa. Business & Society, 44(1): 94–106.
RSA (Republic of South Africa), 1991. Minerals Act (No. 50 of 1991). Available via http://www.iucnrosa.org.zw/elisa/Environmental%20Law/southafrica/mineralsact.html (last accessed February 2004).
RSA (Republic of South Africa), 1996. Mine Health and Safety Act. Available via http://www.gov.za/gazette/acts/1996/a29—96.htm(last accessed February 2004).
RSA (Republic of South Africa), 2002. Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (No. 28 of 2002), Pretoria: Republic of South Africa.
Sethi, S.P. and Falbe, C.M. (eds.), 1987. Business and Society. Dimensions of Conflict and Cooperation. Massachusetts: Lexington.
Sonnenberg, D. and Hamann, R., 2006. The JSE Socially Responsible Investment Index and the state of sustainability reporting in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 23(2): 305–320.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, 2003. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report, 21 March 2003. Available via http://www.gov.za/reports/2003/trc/index.html (last accessed 12 October 2003).
Turrell, R.V., 1987. Capital and Labour on the Kimberley Diamond Fields, 1871–1890. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Visser, W., 2006. “Revisiting Carroll's CSR Pyramid: An African perspective,” in E.R. Pedersen and M. Huniche (eds.), Corporate Citizenship in Developing Countries. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School.
Whittaker, B., 2003. Business in Transition: South African experience of companies cooperating to support transition. Paper presented at the Conference on the role of the private sector in peace building, reconciliation and development, Kathmandu, 21 July 2003.
Yuldelman, D. 1984. The emergence of modern South Africa: state, capital, and the incorporation of organized labour on the South African gold fields, 1902–1939, Cape Town: David Philip.
Zadek, S. and Radovich, S., 2006. Governing collaborative governance: Enhancing development outcomes by improving partnership governance and accountability. (Working Paper No.23.) Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hamann, R. (2009). South Africa: The Role of History, Government, and Local Context. In: Idowu, S.O., Filho, W.L. (eds) Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68815-0_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68815-0_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-68812-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68815-0
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsEconomics and Finance (R0)