Original Research

Private companies and community collaboration: Towards building disaster resilience in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa

Modiegi Bopape, Livhuwani D. Nemakonde, Kristel Fourie
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies | Vol 13, No 1 | a1003 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v13i1.1003 | © 2021 Modiegi Bopape, Livhuwani D. Nemakonde, Kristel Fourie | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 08 June 2020 | Published: 25 November 2021

About the author(s)

Modiegi Bopape, African Centre for Disaster Studies, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa; and, Proactive Health Solutions, Johannesburg, South Africa
Livhuwani D. Nemakonde, African Centre for Disaster Studies, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Kristel Fourie, African Centre for Disaster Studies, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Abstract

The responsibility for building community resilience cannot and should not rest with the public sector alone. It requires all sectors to collaborate for the benefit of the entire community. Specifically, it is important for private sector organisations to participate in building community resilience because they have vested interest in the area because of their physical assets, suppliers, customers and corporate value of social responsibility. This article explores collaboration between private companies and community of Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa, to build disaster resilience in the community. The study applied qualitative research methods. Data were collected through focus group interviews with the community of Diepsloot and semi-structured individual interviews with representatives of private companies operating in the vicinity of Diepsloot. A total of 55 respondents participated in the study. Respondents included five corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers from private companies and 50 community members. The findings of the study showed that private companies are involved in addressing socio-economic challenges in Diepsloot. Addressing such challenges contributes a great deal to reducing exposure to hazards and the vulnerability factors to disasters, thereby contributing to building resilience. Whereas some respondents preferred the private companies to work with the communities directly, the study recommends the use of community structures such as Community Based Organisations (CBOs) when private companies engage in community initiatives. The article contributes to better understanding of the private sector’s contribution to build community resilience.

Keywords

collaboration; disaster risk reduction; resilience; vulnerability; South Africa; community resilience; private sector

Metrics

Total abstract views: 2067
Total article views: 2981


Crossref Citations

No related citations found.