In August 2010, the Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) and a group of Zimbabwean civil society organisations were invited to visit two platinum mines – Ngezi and Mimosa, which are owned or part-owned by South African companies – to see for themselves whether the mines were living up to their corporate social responsibilities.
Serious problems
The unprecedented visit followed a report that SARW had issued in April, which highlighted serious problems with the way South African mining companies were operating in the rest of southern Africa. The report was commissioned because of the increasing number of South African companies investing in the region’s mining sector and because of growing concerns about the extent to which the companies were contributing to the development of local communities, particularly in countries with weak regulatory frameworks and enforcement capacities.
The broad thrust of the report – drawing on case studies from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia – was that South African companies were falling short in terms of their commitments to the surrounding communities and their implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.
Illustrating their lack of interest in these issues, the companies made no effort to participate in the research process. During the field studies, the companies refused to be interviewed, forcing researchers to rely on the broad outlines of the companies’ CSR programmes that were available on their websites and in their promotional material and annual reports.
However, SARW researchers were able to speak to local communities, workers and trade unions, which provided them with the material to produce a general picture of the companies’ activities and their apparent disregard for many of the commitments that they would necessarily abide by back in South Africa.
Prodded to act
The media’s coverage of the report and condemnation by South Africa’s powerful National Union of Mineworkers finally prodded the companies into action. Both Zimplats and Mimosa criticised the report and asked SARW to undertake a second round of research, which the companies would participate in. SARW agreed since its aim is not just to criticise companies from afar but to work with them and civil society organisations to ensure that southern Africa benefits from more transparent, accountable and pro-poor mining operations. – First published by OSISA (www.osisa.org)
Post published in: News