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Liberty Dube Manicaland Bureau

GOVERNMENT has urged the business community to explore opportunities that can accrue from undertaking corporate social responsibility to boost their performance and capacity utilisation.

Speaking at a corporate social responsibility awards ceremony held on Saturday at Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Monica Mutsvangwa said she was elated that the business community had not waited for Government to enact corporate social responsibility legislation but had taken it upon themselves to be responsible corporate citizens.

“Government under the new dispensation is happy to work with all stakeholders to collectively overcome obstacles arising from increasing inequality and a slowdown of productivity and growth.

“My portfolio as Minister of State for Manicaland is to play a critical role with respect to enforcing compliance with the legislative and regulatory structure of the business sector,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

She hailed local business community for being resilient and empowering the community through corporate social responsibility programmes.

The awards are the brainchild of Harare-based Corporate Social Responsibility Network Zimbabwe (CSRNZ) and were aimed at awarding companies in the province for outstanding corporate social responsibility programmes.

The Manica Post was the biggest winner at this year’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) provincial awards, bagging three awards.

The newspaper scooped the best media house reporting on CSR while the editor, Mr Hatred Zenenga, won the best print editor on CSR. Correspondent Liberty Dube won the best journalist reporting on CSR.

CSRNZ is a professional multi-stakeholder organisation established with the aim of advancing best principles and practices of corporate social responsibility in the public and private sector with the ultimate goal of supporting sustainable businesses, which will contribute to sustainable economic growth leading to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Other organisations and individuals that were honoured were businessman and philanthropist Mr Tendai Chitowa (Excellence in Community – Charity and Volunteering), Frank Marembo’s White Horse Inn (Excellence in Environment), Aloe Enterprises (Excellence in Community – Education, Health and Volunteering), Spar Mutare (Excellence in Community – Education and Volunteering), Joseph Sanhanga (Beacon of Philanthropy), Golden Peacock Hotel (Excellence in Community – Education), Troutbeck Resort – Excellence at the workplace, Education and Health and Green Fuel (Most Impactful Rural CSR Initiatives).