Abstract:
Artisanal and/or illegal mining occurs throughout the African continent and is affected
by government institutions and their policies, mining companies and their activities as
well as the communities where it occurs. Mining companies, in particular, make
significant investments in the communities around their mines via corporate social
responsibility (CSR). Mining companies choose to either acknowledge that illegal
miners are in fact a stakeholder in the community around the mine, and manage the
relationship proactively, or they choose to accept that the activity is illegal and/or opt for
the government and police to get involved in managing the relationship.
The research explores the possibility of mining companies and illegal miners
cooperating with each other, instead of competing, and the nature of the mining
companies CSR and stakeholder engagement (SE) strategies that make for a more
transformational relationship. The research establishes the environmental and
organisational factors that drive this relationship.
Ten interviews were conducted with CSR practitioners, sustainability managers, asset
protection experts, consultants and geologists working for gold mining companies
operating throughout Africa. Qualitative data was collected through the use of semistructured
interviews and the data was analysed using content analysis.
Through this research, a stakeholder identification and engagement tool has been
developed for mining companies and their managers to use throughout their global
operations. This tool can be used to report and manage the relationship with illegal
miners globally, as the relationship is highly dependent on the country setting and
context.
