Corporate social responsibility deemed important for community development.

Local companies in Gwanda have been commended for their Corporate Social Responsibility programs which allow them to engage with their communities at all levels of society.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting that was conducted by WILD in partnership with Gwanda Community Economic Justice Trust, Deputy Mayor of Gwanda, Ponalo Maphala commended the efforts that have been made by some companies in Gwanda that give back to the community.

“There are companies within Gwanda that are working hard to ensure that they give back to their communities. We have seen Blanket Mine take great strides in giving back to the community through construction of the Phakama Clinic Isolation Centre. I really commend this move as it addresses the urgent needs of the community, considering that we were and still are faced with a COVID-19 pandemic which we were not prepared for,” he said.

Siduduzile Masilela a Ward Advocacy Committee (WAC) member posed a question on whether there is any legislation that compels mining companies to give back to their communities.

In responding to this question, Mr. Masango from Gwanda RDC said there is no legislation that compels companies to give back to the community and explained the challenges the council has been going through with regards to revenue collection and expenditure.

“It is unfortunate that there is no legislation that compels companies to give back to the community. This means that companies do this out of their own volition.

Another issue is that while the mines may generate revenue, the funds are diverted to more pressing needs at the time. You will notice that the pandemic also tempered with a lot of sectors, and some mining companies were not spared hence are unable to pay,” added Masango

Community members who attended the meeting expressed gratitude to the few companies that give back to the community citing that this has contributed to the improved state of service delivery. However, they also expressed dissatisfaction on the fact that companies are not legally compelled to give back to the community while making immense gains from the local natural resources.