Business Day SHIFT 2026: Driving lasting Change by Tshikululu’s Matebe Chisiza
- 16/04/2026
From Activity to Measurable Impact
Corporate social investment needs to show impact, rather than activity without results, writes Matebe Chisiza, social investment specialist and team lead (SI Analytics) at Tshikululu Social Investment.
Corporate social investment (CSI) is increasingly assessed not only as a compliance or reputational function, but also as a core element of social performance that supports inclusive growth and strengthens the management of long-term social and operational risk.
Growth and Maturity of CSI in South Africa
In South Africa, CSI remains a significant and resilient source of development capital. According to The Trialogue 2025 Business in Society Handbook, CSI grew at an estimated R12.7-billion in 2024. This sustained investment reflects a shift towards stronger governance, multiyear commitments and impact measurement, recognising that short-term, transactional giving is insufficient to address structural challenges.
Strategic and Measurable Social Investment Approaches
Across leading corporates, social investment is a disciplined, strategic part. It prioritises social risks and opportunities where companies can influence outcomes through funding, partnerships and sustained programmes. Clear theories of change link activities to measurable results, enabling accountability and adaptive management. As stated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), structured impact measurement frameworks are essential to ensure programmes show impact, rather than activity without results.
Investment For Social And Economic Development And Resilience
CSI is also increasingly deployed as catalytic capital within blended finance approaches. By supporting early-stage, high-risk investments, it can crowd in commercial or development finance while preserving social intent. The OECD’s blended finance principles outline how concessional capital can mobilise additional investment from open capital markets without diluting development outcomes.
Across sectors, effective CSI portfolios are increasingly being prioritised. In this way, considered social investment by corporates
can and does improve systems, which in turn can ameliorate economic ills. In the mining sector, execution is critical. Mining operations are embedded in host communities and operate within complex social ecosystems.
The Minerals Council South Africa reports that member companies invested approximately R4.9-billion in social and community development programmes in 2023 spanning education, health, infrastructure and local economic development. The Council’s 2024 reporting further highlights the sector’s substantial contribution to employment and household livelihoods nationally. This scale of social and economic investment reinforces the need for accountable delivery models that translate expenditure into sustainable
community development.
Within this context, alignment to regulatory frameworks such as Social Impact Mitigation Plans (SIMPs) is critical. SIMPs provide a structured pathway to address material social risks while embedding accountability and long-term sustainability. Valterra Platinum’s
P950 SIMP (c. 2024–26) illustrates this approach. Rather than positioning CSI as a parallel philanthropic stream, the SIMP integrates social investment into a coherent delivery framework focused on institutional strengthening, service quality and economic resilience.
By partnering with Tshikululu Social Investments, the programme integrates livelihoods, food security, GBV response and community-building organisation (CBO) capacity building within a systems-based model. Strengthened governance and financial
management enable CBOs to source and manage their own funding, while livelihood and food security support household resilience.
The result is more self-sustaining communities and impact that endures beyond the funding cycle.
From an investor and governance perspective, strategic design, impact measurement and independent verification distinguish strategic CSI from discretionary spending. Clear roles between funder, intermediary and implementing partners strengthen accountability. This approach aligns with the principles of the King IV Report, which emphasise long-term value creation, responsible leadership and stakeholder inclusivity.
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