Social impact assessment: practitioner perspectives of the neglected status in South African SIA

ABSTRACT

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in South Africa is still considered to be a neglected component of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but the perspectives of the practitioners on the status and practice of SIA have never been probed, despite their key role in SIA. This paper explores those perspectives by means of a two-part survey conducted with an availability sample of 11 SIA practitioners in 2012 and 13 practitioners in 2016 following a qualitative Action Research Approach. Four themes emerged (i.e. SIA in practice, Problems in SIA, Effectiveness of SIA and the Future of SIA). It is evident that the practitioners generally agree about the nature and purpose of SIA, that SIA has problems but is healthy and will benefit from some regulation, that SIA is an important and valuable tool, although with limited effectiveness, and the practitioners are optimistic about the future of SIA. The perspectives of the practitioners are aligned with international trends towards enhancement and sustainability assessment, but they must remain committed to best practice in SIA.

KEYWORDS:

• Social impact assessment (SIA)
• SIA practitioners
• perspectives
• South Africa

Acknowledgments

The participation and contribution of SIA practitioners in South Africa to this study are greatly appreciated and acknowledged. Valuable comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers are also gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ‘the surroundings within which humans exist and that are made up of – … (iv) the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and well-being’ (South Africa, 1998).

2. There is no register of SIA practitioners, hence no indication of what percentage is reflected by the sample size. Based on the number of practitioners identified and anecdotal knowledge, it seems the South African SIA community comprises of between 50 and 80 practitioners.