EFFECTS OF MINING ACTIVITIES ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY A CASE STUDY AT KONKOLA COPPER MINES.

Abstract

This study explored the effects of mining activities on CSR. The target population size was 14170 while the sample size drawn was 68. This was drawn from the communities, KCM employees, KCM Business partners and the community around the mining town in Chingola. The research established that (44%) of the respondents indicated that KCM had not been relating well with the community, whilst 35% stated that they have been relating well while 21% stated that they were not sure. This was confirmed by the Likert scale that showed that while the company has been performing well in jobs creation opportunities, (mean 4.46, std dev 0.75), it is perceived that the company has not been relating well in the areas of donations to the community, (mean, 1.8, std dev 0.77), recreation facilities, (mean, 1.7 std dev 0.81), Small scale activities, (mean 1.93, std dev 1.06) and skills training, (mean 1.96, std dev 0.84).The study also indicated that 41% strongly agreed that mining can improve the livingstandards, with 21.7% not sure while 4.3% strongly disagreed. Finally, the study revealed that KCM mining activities has a positive effect on with 48% of the respondents being in agreeable while 35% were negatively affected with 17% were neutrally unaffected.The studyrecommended that the government must put in place deliberate policy which will strengthen and enhance the relationship between the mining firms and the community in which they operate. Mining firms must demonstrate that resources are being used effectively and that community initiatives positively contribute to sustainable development. Also, the highly mechanised nature of the mining industry means that companies cannot guarantee employment for local communities and in any case they are trimming on labour, so they need to find other means to ‘add value’ to communities and set in motion a long-term multiplier effect, through their CSR initiatives