Business Brief Opinion Piece: Systemic change through CSI
Systemic change through CSI – driving growth and changing lives
South Africa stands at a crossroads. We are a nation of extraordinary potential, weighed down by entrenched poverty, youth unemployment and climate vulnerability. For decades, Corporate Social Investment (CSI) has been part of our development landscape, often perceived as a peripheral act of charity. Increasingly, however, there is recognition that social investment must be positioned as a lever for long-term growth and resilience.
Much of this thinking is not new. Researchers, practitioners and policymakers have been making these arguments for years. What feels urgent now is that the evidence has mounted, the context has become sharper and the risks of ‘business as usual’ are clearer than ever.
From charity to systemic change
CSI spending has grown steadily, reaching R12.7 billion in 2024. Education continues to dominate, with 92% of corporates investing in the sector. Yet South Africa still holds the title of the world’s most unequal country.
CSI and B-BBEE alone cannot bear the burden of structural reform – government and donor spending far outweigh them. But what CSI can do is test new approaches, unlock innovation and build partnerships that point to systemic solutions. Strategic philanthropy has long been discussed, and we are now seeing real examples of corporates moving beyond welfare to investments that address root causes.
One example is Optima, an education trust committed to improving the quality of basic education and learner outcomes. Optima works with government and others in the sector to find evidence-based solutions that can scale or inform scale, for lasting change in South African education. Some of their work includes interventions in curriculum delivery, strengthening initial teacher education and building institutional capacity. It is through these efforts, which are rooted in evidence or form part of building a body of evidence, that Optima hopes to support systemic change.
From programmes to partnerships
No single actor, whether government, business or civil society, can shift inequality, unemployment or climate vulnerability alone. Collaboration across the ecosystem is not a new concept, but it remains one of the toughest to achieve.
The truth is that isolated programmes, however well-intentioned, cannot match the scale of our challenges. As Susan Wolf, Dietrich and Abe Grindle argued in Harvard Business Review, a solution that does not work at the scale of the problem is rarely a solution. While many practitioners have called for collaboration, we are now seeing more concrete efforts to pool resources, share risk, and co-create interventions – initiatives that demonstrate systemic change can be achieved when stakeholders collaborate in new ways.
One example of this collaborative approach in action is an ambitious urban regeneration project in Johannesburg, together with private-sector funders. Jozi My Jozi convenes communities, creatives, local businesses and city officials to reimagine public spaces and drive inclusive economic activity, and positions funders as enablers of place-based innovation, not just as programme sponsors.
The Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF), launched with the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP), is another example of mobilising a sector to drive systemic change. This R114-million initiative, funded by Google and administered by Tshikululu, aims to empower South Africa’s small and independent news publishers with digital transformation and long-term sustainability.
From accounting for spend to accountability for impact
Globally, there has been a decisive move from counting inputs and outputs to demonstrating outcomes and real impact. Communities and investors alike now demand proof, transparency and ethical practice.
This is also not a brand-new demand, but technology has accelerated it. From AI-driven reporting to blockchain verification, tools are making accountability sharper and harder to ignore. For social investors, accountability means more than compliance; it is about governance, trust and responsiveness to those most affected by interventions.
Looking ahead
The future of South Africa will be shaped by those who embrace these shifts – not as radical new ideas, but as lessons we have been circling around for decades and now need to act on with urgency.
The path forward asks three things of investors:
Put purpose at the core
Social investment cannot remain a peripheral add-on.
Engage in partnerships
Blended capital and collaboration are non-negotiable for scale.
Measure genuine impact with rigour
Impact should be tracked transparently and grounded in lived realities.
South Africa has shown that change is possible. The question now is whether we will act with the urgency and imagination our future demands. It’s time to lead with boldness, to transform with intent and to build the South Africa we all know is possible.