Masters of Science / Globally plantation forestry plays a pivotal role in terms of timber production, ecological
services and maintaining local livelihoods. In South Africa commercial forestry occupies a
relatively small portion of the total land area, but contributes significantly towards the
national GDP. Forestry had been labelled as a streamflow reduction activity. Thus further
afforestation is not possible. It is of paramount importance that plantations are managed
on a sustainable basis in order to meet future timber demands. However, sustainability
goes beyond the replenishment of natural resources or economic prosperity and also
includes social responsibility. (CSR) initiatives are a means for companies to maximize
the positive contribution their operations can make to the promotion of fair work practices
and ecological sustainability. Plantations are mostly located in rural areas and often reflect
the only form of local employment. Often employees are at risk of economic exploitation
and high risk of injury while little scope for economic and educational betterment exists.
CSR incorporates people, planet and profit. It is important to fulfil the basic needs of the
workers in order for the company to realize environmental and economic prosperity. It is
the aim of this study to highlight the essential role of people in insuring the long-term
sustainability of the Western Cape plantations. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the over-all well-being of forestry workers in the Western Cape plantations. In order for people to reach the over-all goal of the
organization, they first need to satisfy their basic needs. More often than not this is the
case with forestry workers. Some of the issues that negatively impact on their over-all wellbeing
are:
Their working environment and conditions
Lack of investment in resident / neighbouring communities
Lack of adequate stakeholder consultation
Poor standards of worker accommodation
If companies wish to be sustainable, they need to address these issues that forest workers
are being confronted with. The secondary aim of this study is to explore CSR initiatives
that could address these issues in the Western Cape plantation villages.This study deploys a mixed approach, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Data were collected through the distribution of structured questionnaires, interviews,
meetings, company documents and reviewed literature. The research shows that the
social issues that confront forest villages include poor sanitation facilities, lack of home
ownership, poor state of worker accommodation, lack of extramural activities, substance
abuse and relatively low remuneration rates. The company also faces challenges with
regards to the implementation of its CSR programme.
This study makes several recommendations which are based on the findings. One such
recommendation is a tripartite approach to CSR. Here a tripartite approach refers to the
partnership between the company, Government and civil society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/4085 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Sass, Theodore |
| Contributors | Goldin, J.A., Knight, Richard |
| Publisher | University of the Western Cape |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of the Western Cape |
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