A corporate social responsibility conceptual framework to address artisanal gold mining in South Africa

Abstract

The formal sector's role in supporting the informal sector is becoming more recognisable worldwide. In this regard, the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2002: 73) remarked that it is becoming more difficult for corporations to maintain and improve circumstances in the formal economy without addressing the informal economy. To explore the role corporations can play in developing and addressing artisanal mining in South Africa, this paper engages with the theoretical domain of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Based on empirical data, a CSR framework was developed through the research, which is the first comprehensive framework that mining companies can use to address the current unsustainable artisanal mining sector in the South African context. The CSR framework provides practical initiatives to develop and create opportunities for historically disadvantaged South Africans to benefit from the country's mineral resources.