Dva2601 - Assignment 5

Assignment 04

Title: Define and explain the purpose of Social Impact Assessment (SIA), then analyse how SIA has been used in South Africa. Then discuss which principles and practices of SIA should be followed in countries of the South.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

1 Introduction 1

2 Social Impact Assessment defined 1

3 SIA in South Africa 1

4 Problems with SIA in South Africa 2

5 SIA, the way forward 4

6 A student’s viewpoint 5

7 Bibliography 6

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) will be discussed in the following essay in terms of definition and purpose as well as principles and practices which should be followed in countries of the South.

Social Impact Assessment defined

When one looks at development, its social ties cannot be ignored. Francis and Jacobs (in du Pisani and Sandham 2009:93) tell us:

“its means are social processes and institutions, its ends embody social values, and its costs and benefits are distributed across communities, social groups, and organisations”.

Social impacts result from a specific action and proceed to alter the day-to-day aspects of the lives of members of society. These aspects include the way in which people live, work, play and relate to one another in general (du Pisani and Sandham 2009:93).

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) lends itself to establish, in advance, the social consequences which are likely to be associated with specific actions, projects, policies or programmes and how they will affect the aforementioned aspects. SIA is thus a vital factor in proposed project development or policy changes as it allows for the assessment of cost implications, possible social consequences on human populations and potential benefits to affected parties before commencement of the projects in question.

SIA in South Africa

Environmental affairs in the “old”, pre-1994 South Africa were not prioritised while the immediate impact...