Social impact of cement manufacturing in the surrounding communities : a case for Sephaku Cement Factory

Abstract

Manufacturing and mining are major economic activities m many developing countries. Operations, whether smaller or large-scale, are inherently disruptive to the environment, producing enormous quantities of waste that can have deleterious impacts for decades. The environmental deterioration caused by manufacturing companies occurs mainly as a result of inappropriate and wasteful working practices and rehabilitation measures. It is very important to consider the social impacts of manufacturing and mining activities on the surrounding socio-economic environment, and to incorporate Social Impact Assessment (SIA) into the operational activities of a mine as a management tool. However, the practice of SIA by mining companies is often largely lacking, especially in the developing nations of the world. To avoid such socio-economic marginalisation by mining companies, the government of South Africa requires mining companies to develop and implement Social and Labour Plans (SLPs), which focus on promoting the long-term development of their workforces, employee households, communities and regions. In this regard, a quantitative study was conducted in communities of villages within a radius of 6 km from the cement manufacturing plant, to determine the social impact of cement manufacturing on the surrounding communities: A case for the Sephaku cement factory (Aganang plant). This method attempts precise measurement of something. It usually measure consumer behaviour, knowledge, opinions or attitudes. Quantitative data often consist of participant responses that coded, categorized, and reduced to numbers so that this data may be manipulated for statistical analysis. The objectives of the study were to 1) identify and assess socio-economic activities which are significantly influenced by the Sephaku cement manufacturing plant; 2) examine local communities' perceptions on how the cement manufacturing plant activities impacted on the environment; and 3) explore and suggest the possible interventions that can assist m mitigating the negative impacts of the cement plant on the surrounding communities. The study shall be conducted using questionnaires. The questionnaire will prominently be theory orientated and base on relevant issues affecting the community relating to the study.

The questionnaires will be specific and in relation to the study. Participation in this study of all participants will strictly be on voluntary basis. Confidentiality will be assured and no one shall be given an opportunity to browse other individual information The questionnaires shall be distributed through school children to their parents at the local schools in the affected areas and be collected from school after collection by teachers on predefined dates from each respondent The random sampling technique shall be used; this will be determined by the number of leaners at schools. All leaners shall be given questionnaires, irrespective of their background.The research data was sourced from the surrounding community members and statistically analysed.All data collected will be treated confidentially and data will be captured electronically. All questionnaires collected will be kept until the study is complete.Furthermore, all statistical analyses will be conducted using the Software Package (SPSS) from the university. In quantitative research, one common way of computing reliability is by using Cronbach Alpha Coefficients.Alpha was developed to provide a measure of the internal consistency of a test or scale; it is expressed as a number between 0 and 1 (Tavakol, 2011 ). The cut-off point of Cronbach alpha is 0.7, meaning that the alpha value less than 0.7 is not acceptable. The study recommendations were developed to address the social impact of cement manufacturing in the surrounding communities. The Social Labour Plan is developed to outline all the plans the company wants to achieve to improve the socio-economy and livelihood of the communities affected. However, it is noted that most people in the area are not aware of such an important document and thus recommended that the plan be accessible to the surrounding communities. Furthermore, it evidently shown that little work has been done in terms of compliance and ensuring improvement of socio-economy of the surrounding communities. Issues such as educational plans, poverty eradication programmes, environmental monitoring plans, health care etc. need to be addressed for the benefit of the surrounding communities.