THUNGELA: STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTION RESEARCH

The King IV report speaks to stakeholder relationships and the need for listed businesses to adopt a stakeholder-inclusive approach that balances the needs, interests, and expectations of material stakeholders in the best interests of the organisation. Thungela, a leading producer and exporter of high-quality, low-cost thermal coal in South Africa’s mining industry, works with several stakeholders, key to their business. Though Thungela sites conduct manual quarterly community stakeholder perception surveys in their Community Engagement Forums (CEF) measuring the level of trust in the mine, the level of support (if the community supports the mine), and the level of fairness (if the mine listens and responds to community concerns), Thungela must have a broader view of its stakeholders and host communities’ perceptions of the business. Thungela therefore wished to conduct a third-party perception survey to get a better understanding of its broader stakeholder base’s perceptions of Thungela and its relationship with its stakeholders. As a result, Mthente was appointed to conduct the research. The overall objective of the survey was to study, analyse and report on the perception of a range of stakeholders, including government stakeholders, municipalities, unions, journalists, traditional authorities, and members of the various host communities.