Survey reveals key insights into the impact of violence on SA communities and businesses

This year marks the fourth iteration of the Violence Survey – an initiative presented by RCS, in partnership with BNP Paribas and the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI). The 2023 results paint a picture of declining violence across several key categories. While this is indeed a positive development, the impact of violence on the well-being of communities and the mental health of employees remains a deep concern.

Sandi Richardson, human resources executive at RCS, highlights the profound impact of violence in South Africa, emphasising its wide-ranging effects on individuals as community members, family members and employees. “According to our survey, 87% of corporate leaders observed a significant impact on presenteeism, where employees, though physically present, struggled to perform due to mental or physical distress.

“Additionally, 91% of corporates noted an increased impact on employees’ mental health and well-being compared to 2022. These findings underscore the interconnectedness of employees’ life experiences and their workplace performance.”

She urges employers to prioritise helping employees to create safer and more fulfilling lives, recognising that external factors significantly influence on-the-job effectiveness.

The survey seeks to understand and identify the effects of violence on vulnerable communities as well as its impact on business operations in South Africa. Two sample groups were surveyed: individuals within communities impacted by violence, and South African corporates. The survey focused specifically on respondents from high-risk communities across Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as corporates from a broad spectrum of sectors including construction, retail, hospitality and financial services.

Richardson draws attention to the four biggest increases in steps taken by employers to support their staff:

• Providing staff with safe transport (29%) – an increase of 5% from 2022;

• Providing staff with access to a counselling or therapy service (29%) – which increased by 18% from 2022;

• Educational drives and programmes (21%) – an increase of 5% from 2022;

• Offering emotional support (21%) – which increased by 12% from 2022.

“However, the perception that South African employees have on whether companies are supportive in this way has declined,” adds Richardson. “These findings indicate a disjoint between the focus of most corporates and the lived realities of employees. Corporates can extend support to employees who have experienced violence. What we need are robust partnerships involving communities, the private sector and corporates in tackling these issues – not only in the interests of helping our society thrive but also to promote inclusive economic growth.”

While the need for greater co-operation amongs the corporate network has been clearly illustrated in the survey, its findings also point to several significant gains. Talking to this is Siphathisiwe Dhlamini, conflict resolution & peace-building expert at WPDI, who says that in 2023, women reported an overall decrease in the impact of violence on their day-to-day lives and livelihoods.

For example:

• The impact of violence on women’s income and jobs decreased by 13% from 2022 (32%);

• The impact of violence on women being late for work, school or college decreased by 10% from 2022 (70%);

• The impact of violence on women’s physical or mental ability to do their job effectively decreased by 16% from 2022 (69%).

The survey also found notable increases in the number of women reporting violence to the police, which increased by 4% from 2022 (52%), fighting back also increased by 15% from 2022 (38%), and finally – reporting incidents to a community leader increased by 8% from 2022 (21%).

Furthermore, another encouraging insight is that the percentage of women who do nothing due to being ashamed after experiencing gender-based violence (GBV) is decreasing, dropping from 40% in 2022 to 23% in 2023.

For the first time ever, this year’s survey also included a key focus on the impact of GBV on men in these communities. To this end, the survey found that 42% of men in 2023 experienced GBV. The data also suggests that males in larger households are more likely to experience GBV, and that compared to female counterparts, the nature of GBV is more likely to be a threat for money rather than sexual assault. Additionally, the results found that men are 6% more likely to be threatened with a weapon, and 2% more likely to be kidnapped or abducted than women.

As Dhlamini concludes: “We draw great inspiration from the fact that more awareness on what can be done to combat the scourge of gender-based violence is producing tangible results on the ground. Our work in South Africa is particularly geared toward tackling the root cause of violence, by addressing issues such as youth unemployment, poverty and the need for peace in communities.

“Our partners, RCS and BNP Paribas, have assisted us in highlighting the importance of what corporates can do in the workplace to effect positive change. We hope that through surveys like this, we will continue to gain a clear picture of problems that will inform our vision for a better, fairer, safer future for all.”