ESTHER BUTHELEZI: This is a crucial time for business to support civil society

The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in SA is proven. Consultancy Trialogue estimates that the sector spent R11.8bn on CSR in the 2023 financial year, an 8% increase from the R10.bn of 2022.

That’s both laudable and warranted. We live, after all, in the world’s most unequal society, and apart from addressing the scourges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, civil society also protects our hard-won civil liberties.

So it’s odd that the work of civil society is sometimes seen — perhaps unconsciously — by those in business as somehow “softer” than the daily cut-and-thrust of for-profit enterprise.

Some hard-nosed business people surmise that those serving in the nonprofits somehow “lack what it takes” to work in the corporate sector. But that sentiment is off the mark. Civil society has been, and continues to be, the conscience of the broader society in which it operates.

That has at times come at a price. Just one example: in 2016, staff at the Helen Suzman Foundation were held up by masked men with army-issue automatic weapons and handcuffed to the railings of their offices while their captors made off with their computers, phones and files. The foundation was at that time gathering evidence of political corruption during the state-capture era.

Nobody has ever been held to account for the brazen heist, nor has any of the stolen equipment been recovered.

Similarly, investigative journalists, some funded by philanthropists, continue to hold those in high office — government and business — to account. Their recompense is often to be targeted with frivolous lawsuits or worse. One cabinet minister often accuses the media and environmental NPOs of working with  the CIA to topple SA’s democratically elected government. The publisher of a major media house recently ran a piece in which one of his hacks compared a leading journalist from a competing media house with Leni Riefenstahl, Adolf Hitler’s propagandist.

Better society

It is hard to imagine more churlish and hateful allegations against people who dedicate their lives towards upholding freedoms that came with great sacrifice. These jibes are generally seen for what they are: tawdry and puerile. Happily, they generally do little to deter those working for a better society, but such mudslinging is dangerous nevertheless and warrants condemnation.

From a distance, much of the work of civil society appears mundane and doesn’t make headlines but is nonetheless crucial: a soup kitchen for the homeless can seem like a humble undertaking but may spell the difference between misery and a degree of comfort.

With the cost-of-living spiralling and economic growth likely to remain in the doldrums for the next few years, support for the vulnerable is crucial. Overarching that is the existential crisis of our time: at a time when the natural systems that sustain life on Earth are imperilled as never before, the work of conservation volunteers and those fighting climate change is crucial.

This work can take a heavy toll physically and emotionally. Consider the hospice workers providing palliative care to the terminally ill, dealing with the grief and fear of not only patients but their loved ones. Many of us would simply not cope with that emotional burden. 

Apart from the sometimes gruelling nature of the work, financial sustainability is all too often a continuing concern, and civil society groups have to raise funds constantly to remain viable. So what can business do to help? 

• Economic support: Businesses can provide financial support to NPOs through donations, grants, or sponsorships. This funding can help NPOs carry out activities aimed at promoting democratic values, civic engagement, and economic growth.
• Capacity building: Businesses can offer training programmes, workshops and mentoring opportunities to strengthen the capacity of civil society actors. This can include skill-building in areas such as advocacy, leadership, project management and fundraising, empowering NPOs to be more effective in their work.
• Partnerships and collaboration: Businesses can form strategic partnerships with civil society organisations to address common goals related to democracy and growth. By leveraging their resources, expertise and networks, businesses and NPOs can amplify their  influence and reach a broader audience.
• Advocacy and policy engagement: Businesses can advocate for policies and regulations that support democracy, good governance and economic development. By engaging in advocacy efforts alongside civil society groups, businesses can help shape a conducive environment for sustainable growth and democratic practices.
• CSR initiatives: Businesses can integrate democratic and developmental objectives into their CSR initiatives. This can include investing in education, healthcare, infrastructure and other community development projects that contribute to the wellbeing of society and foster an environment conducive to democracy and economic growth.
• Ethical business practices: Businesses can uphold ethical standards in their operations, including transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights. By demonstrating responsible business conduct, companies can set a positive example for others and contribute to building trust between the private sector, civil society and the public sector.
• Support for civic engagement: Businesses can encourage and facilitate civic engagement among their employees and stakeholders. This can involve supporting volunteer programmes, organising community service activities and providing employees with opportunities to participate in civil society initiatives aimed at promoting democracy and growth.

Overall, by actively engaging with civil society and aligning their business practices with democratic values and sustainable development goals, businesses can contribute significantly to fostering an environment conducive to democracy, economic growth and social progress. Those in civil society continue to reinforce the guardrails of our hard-won democracy and as such warrant the support of all who are able to provide it. 

Ford has many initiatives in poverty alleviation, early childhood development, education and conservation. We’re by no means alone in shouldering that responsibility. As stated, business invests heavily in CSR. With SA already the most unequal society in the world, how much worse would things be without that investment? So yes, it’s laudable.

The company I work for continues to underpin its stated commitment to CSI with solid investment: It recently announced, for example, a partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to build 100 early childhood development centres in underserved communities across SA.

The initiative aims to improve access to quality education for youngsters before entering primary school. The centres will be built in areas where such resources are limited in Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative ties in well to Ford’s support of Rally to Read, which promotes literacy at grassroots level, in remote rural schools across SA, and has done so for more than 20 years.

We’re not alone in that commitment. The R11.8bn I mentioned earlier is a manifestation of SA’s business community to support of civil society and understanding that its role has never been more crucial than in the run-up to what are described as the most important elections in three decades.

This is particularly important as political players see populism, scapegoating and “othering” of minorities as a ticket to more votes. This is a crucial time for what’s still a young and by no means bulletproof democracy.

• Buthelezi is government affairs & transformation director at Ford Motor Company of SA.