THE DIVERSITY IN MINING ISSUE | 2021
FOREWORD
DIVERSITY and inclusion
This issue of Inside Mining is about diversity and the power of inclusion. I intended to draw from as many voices as I could because the core value of diversity is inclusion. By Olebogeng Sentsho*
W
hile preparing for the compilation of this foreword, I announced on LinkedIn that I would be taking contributions from anyone who had a burning issue to ventilate. Immediately, I was inundated with passionate appeals to highlight the agenda of the women in the mining industry for the year 2021. The response was overwhelming and so genuine. I realised that as much as women have a transformation agenda in the sector, we have so many other pressing issues that need to be addressed, thereby serving as the infrastructure for that transformation. Inclusivity and leadership development are the key drivers of transformation. To effect the changes we want, we must cultivate leaders that can lead that renewal.
Where the value lies Many of the responses I received had a recurring theme that is underplayed in the mining industry: value. As a multifaceted industry, we need to invest in the bounty of our diversity. The intrinsic value of a diversified workforce in the industry is a central theme that must be prioritised as a business imperative.
Olebogeng Sentsho won the Leader of Tomorrow Award at the 2019 Mining Indaba (Credit: Poppy Photography)
Various minority groups in extractives across the world are aware of this value; however, because that value is not represented on annual reports as a number on the balance sheet, it is not given the requisite attention and priority status. This is a travesty. Technical workplaces are the breeding ground for skills transfer and the cross-pollination of culture and ethics. By marginalising women, the youth and persons with disabilities, we miss out on an incredible opportunity to develop and nurture unique talent. The youth, women, the disabled and SMMEs play a pivotal role in the mineral Inclusivity and economy. Their ingenuity is a job creator leadership and their proximity to technology is a useful resource in a scientific industry. development are the key Unfortunately, mines and the industry at drivers of transformation large are using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to circumvent their ESG obligations to this group of people. Commitments to 30-day payment cycles have fallen to the wayside. SMMEs are failing at an alarming rate and the proprietors of those SMMEs, being women, the youth and the disabled are unable to be economically active. The transformation agenda
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