A Critical Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in the South African Mining Industry: ‘Does the Mining Industry in South Africa merely pay lip-service to CSR, and do its CSR projects play a valuable role in the development of society?’

This study investigates the drivers of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the South African Mining Industry, while assessing its effectiveness in developing the lives of local communities. The dissertation presents three extensive case studies of multinational mining organisations operating in South Africa. These case studies focus on the global and local CSR agendas of each organisation to gain an in-depth understanding of their South African operations. Subsequently the dissertation evaluates these agendas alongside the counter-narrative presented by NGOs and press reports. The main findings are that, despite development in the effectiveness of the industry’s CSR initiatives, the main driver of CSR is the self-preservation of the organisation. The dissertation also offers recommendations as to how the industry can develop its CSR