PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA BY SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANIES

Abstract

Southern Africa today is characterised by poverty, a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, war, conflict, unemployment and food shortages. What is lacking, but clearly necessary for the advancement of the region, is the promotion of sustainable development practices. The challenge is for Southern Africa to reverse its present decline with the active help of business. This study assesses how South African companies are currently operating in Southern Africa, in terms of their promotion of sustainable development practices, and highlights factors that curtail company adoption/promotion of sustainable development. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were held with managers in twenty South African companies with operations in the rest of Southern Africa to assess their promotion of sustainable development practices. The main findings are that companies promote a number of sustainable development practices at varying degrees. However it is clear that to achieve the advancement of the region, there needs to be an increase the current level of promotion of sustainable development practices. Secondly, the findings indicate that the primary inhibiting factors to the promotion of sustainable development practices are lack of financial resources, wrong mindset, nature of company business, limited adoption of sustainable development practices in South Africa, the underdevelopment of economies in the Southern African countries, and the lack of political buy in of senior management.