The article discusses how despite Zimbabwe's struggling economy, companies can still engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to benefit their communities. While many companies have cut costs and focused solely on survival, CSR is a public relations tool that can help companies maintain goodwill with communities and gain their support. The article suggests that PR departments should promote CSR to remind communities of companies' social obligations and revive practices like supporting health, education, and local development projects. A few companies in Zimbabwe are still actively using CSR, showing it remains a viable way for businesses to demonstrate corporate citizenship even in difficult economic times.

1. HERALD ARTICLE-6 August
Zimbabwe industry can still utilize social responsibility
The current Zimbabwean economic climate has reduced corporate business activities from a
sense of business affluence to survival. The country’s community of individuals, entrepreneurs
and the industry, at large, has now adopted a “survival of the fittest” approach in order to remain
afloat.
What it means is that, the corporate world has put aside their normal way of operating which
included supporting their host communities and showing good will gestures to their publics. The
theme for most companies is now survival, survival and survival.
And one can not blame them bearing in mind the retrenchment and job losses’ wave that has
swept through the country in the last month.
However, the corporate world can still operate normally despite the country’s economic
challenges. The industry can still afford to give back to the community and proffer good will
gestures where it is required through corporate social responsibility activities.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a public relations tool used to win the hearts of the
community in which a company operates by giving back to the community as appreciation and
incentive to co-habit together harmoniously, as both can not do without each other.
The company needs the citizens for support and business growth and progression whilst the
citizens or community benefit from the business activities of the organization. Therefore, the
CSR is a corporate good will gesture within a community in which an entity continually shows
its commitment to business by behaving ethically and contributing to economic development and
improving the quality of life for the local community and society, at large.
The corporate world commitment to CSR is a clear behaviour of corporate citizenship by
organizations. And the public relations departments of companies have to carry this burden of
corporate citizenship for today’s business players.
Zimbabwean companies can still carry the burden of corporate citizenship by appreciating
CSR. Krause (1977) offered two options of CSR in which organizations are caught up which are
- no corporate charity or altruism and the entrepreneurial attitude. The former does not prioritize
organizational obligation to supporting communities with good will gestures, while the latter
reflects on the entrepreneurial attitude of business and its involvement with social, economic and
political questions of the industry and society.

2. With the current economic wave sweeping across the country, it seems the Zimbabwean
industry has warmed up to Krause’s first option of “no corporate charity or altruism” where it
side steps CSR. The issue of CSR is fast becoming archaic and may be completely eradicated
from the system due to the harsh economic environment which has seen rampant closure of
companies including big corporate players like CAPS Holdings that used to cherish CSR.
The few surviving companies can not prioritize CSR at the expense of survival and
sustainability as they have wage and salary bills, as well as other operational costs to fulfill. But
this is an opening window for the PR practice to highlight its relevance in the country’s industry.
Organizations can take this opportunity to use PR to invoke their corporate citizenship by
reviving CSR. PR can still take the country’s industry back to the time when it used CSR to
contribute towards employee health, educational advancement, transport, housing and improved
livelihood.
PR can still remind the community of organizational social obligation using CSR to support
the areas of health, welfare, civic and cultural programmes in the communities they operate. PR
can still revive the good will gestures of such companies as Econet Wireless Zimbabwe using
CSR through its Capernaum Trust and the Joshua Nkomo Scholarships for the vulnerable
exceptional children.
PR can also take the corporate world back to the good old days where companies like Mimosa
and Zimplats played a critical role in their communities fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic
using the special tool of CSR. Some entities would go as far as constructing clinics, hospitals,
schools, sinking boreholes and even donating food hampers to children and old people’s homes.
While companies are now operating on shoe string budgets and making losses it is not all
gloom for organizations to exercise their corporate citizenship. The PR tool of CSR is still in use
in a few organizations like Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, Lafarge, Unki Mine and a number of
wholesale and retail chain supermarkets which are still embroiled in corporate social
responsibility.
Unki Mine and Mimosa are currently playing critical roles in the country’s health sector
adopting wards in hospitals and contributing to upgrading of health facilities.
Therefore, while the industry is operating in this harsh economic landscape it is not all doom
and gloom but organizations can be proactive by instituting the PR practice to invoke its CSR
tool to co-exist and create an economic rapport with community, publics and society, at large.
The current economic trend unveils a window for PR to manifest corporate citizenship for
organizations using the corporate social responsibility tool. Hence, it is not all bleak for the
corporate world but can still utilize the corporate social responsibility to enhance their co-
existence within the communities they are operating in.

3. • This article has been inserted by the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations. For
feedback, comments and inquiries on the work of ZIPR, please email zipr@mweb.co.zw .