Organisational Viewpoint – Page 4

Beyond compliance: enhancing the impact of community trusts in South Africa

For decades, the mining sector has recognised the need to invest in the development of its host communities, both from a regulatory perspective and in recognition of the historical inequities that continue to create socioeconomic challenges in communities across South Africa. Community trusts (and similar broad-based community ownership schemes) are one vehicle through which companies seek to benefit communities. However, achieving meaningful and sustained benefit to mining host communities through the use of community trusts has not been successful in many instances.

Sustainable social impact in a changing world

Creating and measuring social impact must, by necessity, be as dynamic as the socio-economic context it is responding to. Creating and measuring social impact must, by necessity, be as dynamic as the socio-economic context it is responding to. Strengthening our approach to social investment involves applying and sharing lessons learnt, and using them to develop evidence-based approaches to creating and measuring social impact over time. Building on the lessons we have learnt as Tshikululu over 26 years in the social investment space, we have identified three key elements that we see as central to achieving sustainable impact now and in the future:

Fit-for-purpose M&E in the South African context

Measurement of performance and impact is essential for all development stakeholders looking to bring about meaningful social change. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) or impact management and measurement (IMM)1 provides us with a structured way of understanding what a social investment is achieving. However, our efforts to measure success are meaningful only if they are appropriate for the real-world context in which they are being applied. As part of exploring this, Tshikululu hosted a webinar on fit-for-purpose M&E in the South African context on 11 July 2024.

Successful integration of the S into ESG in the SA context

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is increasingly being adopted by businesses in South Africa as a framework to measure and report on sustainability. Globally, ESG is considered by some to have a bias towards the environmental, with frameworks and reporting prioritising the “E”. However, the need for a Just Transition puts the relationship between the “E” and the “S” starkly into focus in the South African context. Prioritising environmental concerns without meaningfully addressing social issues is a recipe for disaster in a country where many communities depend on industries like mining for survival.

PRESS RELEASE: Integrating the ‘S’ in ESG: “Socio-economic development is everybody’s business”

Mining companies, along with other businesses, need to make the fundamental shift towards realising that corporate sustainability is dependent on the ecosystems in which they operate. So says Thabisile Phumo, Executive Vice President: Stakeholder Relations at Sibanye-Stillwater.

How triangulation contributes to meaningful data analysis

When one hears monitoring and evaluation (M&E) experts speak, the concept ‘triangulation’ often comes up. In a space that can be incredibly technical in nature, M&E can sometimes be too ‘jargony’. Therefore unpacking M&E terms is a critical part of ensuring that M&E is comprehensible to as many people as possible. Tshikululu believes that this, ultimately, will allow for more effective social investment decision-making across the board. So what is triangulation and why is it so important?