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Minerals Council weighs in on gender equity
CELEBRATING WOMEN IN MINING
Minerals Council weighs in on transformation
By Nelendhre Moodley
Each year in August, South Africa marks Women’s Month – celebrating the strength and resilience of women and their contributions to society and country. SA Mining recently spoke to Dr Thuthula Balfour, head: health at the Minerals Council South Africa, to find out how the mining industry is faring in its transformation agenda.
IS INDUSTRY MEETING THE MINING CHARTER’S TARGETS FOR TRANSFORMATION, IN PARTICULAR AS RELATED TO WOMEN IN MINING?
There are two ways of looking at this. The first is to look at whether or not the industry has met the Mining Charter targets, or – as we
Dr Thuthula Balfour. Remote operation of the underground rock crusher, in the South Deep Central Control Centre.
prefer to do – look at what we are trying to achieve as an industry in respect of women in mining, and how we are doing against the stretch targets we have put in place.
In terms of compliance with the Mining Charter, we can report that by the end of 2018 the number of women working in the mining sector had increased significantly – from around 11 400 in 2002, to 57 000 (or around 12%) in 2018. In 2018, women represented 17% of top management, 17% of senior management, 24% of professionally qualified people and 18% of skilled and technical professions.
On this measure we have made good progress, but there is of course room for more.
If you look at the issue of women in mining in a more holistic way, however, we would see this di erently.
First, if we were to ask whether the issue of women in mining is firmly on the agenda of every mining company at the most senior levels of the industry, the answer would be yes.
Addressing gender imbalances and creating workplaces that are fair and safe for men and women have long been a focus of the Minerals Council.
Through the Women in Mining Leadership Forum, led by Minerals Council president Nolitha Fakude and former o ice bearer Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman, the Minerals Council placed the advancement of women firmly on the agenda.
Seven clear workstreams with action plans for each are in place: ■ Rea irm zero tolerance for genderbased violence through the Stop Abuse campaign. ■ Develop gender diversity and inclusion policies. ■ Provide a reporting system for gender diversity issues. ■ Initiate unconscious bias training to
transform culture. ■ Deploy an ongoing company-wide pulse check survey. ■ Build an inclusive physical environment. ■ Supply personal protective equipment for women specifically.
Minerals Council members set and agreed to stretch targets aimed at ensuring that the industry at least doubles the percentage of women in mining by 2025 and ultimately works towards 30% to 40% women’s representation across the industry and 50% in management over the next decade.
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAS COVID-19 HAD ON THE JOURNEY TO MEETING THESE TARGETS?
We don’t have specific evidence of this, but from what we do know there is an indirect impact. Firstly we know that worldwide, the burden of childcare and caring for the elderly and sick, especially during lockdowns, and job losses, have disproportionately a ected women. We have no reason to believe that our industry would be any di erent.
Fortunately, most mining companies were able to pay their employees during this time, but we can only assume that there has been an impact at the level of the household.
Secondly, we know that globally and in South Africa too, lockdowns have meant an increase in femicide and gender-based violence.
Many Minerals Council members already have policies and systems in place to address sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. However the Stop Abuse of Women campaign, which forms part of our Women in Mining Strategy, aims to ensure that the right processes and mechanisms are in place to identify and deal with the physical and mental abuse of women.
It also aims to ensure we continue to train and educate men and women on what abuse means, and to provide support to women in
mining and mining communities.
Thirdly, to be able to achieve our ambitious transformation targets we need the industry to be thriving – with new investment and job creation. Mining has fared better than most, but it has still been affected.
Closing the gender pay gap is one of the aspects the industry is looking at to promote gender diversity and inclusion at all levels within the workplace. We don’t have evidence of this at this stage, but will certainly be monitoring this in the future.
HOW COMPARABLE IS TRANSFORMATION IN MINING TO OTHER SECTORS LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY?
Lack of diversity is a challenge in boardrooms, and at a senior level the world over. But we are making good progress.
A recent analysis of our members showed that currently there are 13 member companies that have woman CEOs or board chairs. Is that enough? Absolutely not. But it would be interesting to reflect on this comparison with other sectors of the South African economy, especially when you consider that some of these companies are world-leading.
It is true that the mining industry lags behind other sectors in the country and other mining jurisdictions such as Australia and Canada where women represent 17% and 16% respectively in the workplace.
Mining has traditionally been a maledominated environment. Superstition and patriarchal beliefs have delayed an acceptance of women in this space, and infrastructure, equipment and the physically demanding environment serve as further barriers to entry for women in mining.
We need to develop and recruit woman engineers into the industry (and to do that we need to have a thriving, growing industry). Attracting women into mining faculties at universities and getting them to succeed academically is not the problem. But getting them to come and work for mining companies, and not for the more lucrative and currently attractive financial services sector, once they graduate is a challenge.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACED IN MEETING THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA?
From a mining perspective, we have specific challenges that are unique to our mining environment and that relate to women in the workplace.
The outcome of a survey conducted by the Minerals Council among members indicated that the most common physical challenges are physical capacity, pregnancy and maternity leave, and workplaces not accommodating the needs of women (such as through sanitation and ablution facilities, safety and security, and childcare facilities).
One of the biggest concerns facing women who work underground is safety, specifically the risk of sexual harassment and violence directed at them by their male colleagues and illegal miners. Underground conditions such as crowded conveyances, poorly lit tunnels and working areas, and other women in their direct proximity all make working underground more difficult for women.
South Africa has some of the deepest mines in the world (gold and platinum in particular) which are historically labourintensive, requiring arduous work under challenging conditions.
In general terms, most women don’t have the same physical strength as most men, which has a material impact on their ability to undertake underground work effectively.
Almost every woman who is physically able to work underground is of childbearing age. No pregnant woman may work underground, and mines are obliged to provide safe above-ground work during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
A significant challenge to women is the fact that equipment such as overalls, personal protective equipment, boots and tools have historically been designed for men. This means overalls aren’t easy to adjust and women need to undress completely to use toilet facilities.
Boots are often too wide and long, gloves are too loose, and tools are designed for larger hands and weight-lifting capabilities.
Then of course the challenges faced by women in mining are often the same as women in any sector of the economy: equality in the workplace, unconscious bias, gender pay gaps, the ability to build alliances or networks, to name a few. And the burden of work-life balance because, as we know, the duty of raising a family and caring for the elderly is still seen to be the domain of women.
In general, mining majors seem to be moving apace with transformation. Can the same be said of the junior mining sector?
Absolutely. In fact we are seeing women in leadership and senior positions at a junior and emerging miners’ level often because these companies are more entrepreneurial, have smaller teams, and their structures accommodate women more easily.
In 2018, women represented 17% of top management and 17% of senior management. “ “ – Balfour
HOW IS THE SECTOR GROWING ITS PIPELINE OF FUTURE FEMALE INDUSTRY PARTICIPANTS?
A large part of every graduating class in our mining engineering schools is made up of women. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that they all find their way into mining companies. They are in high demand from corporates and banks and consultancies, despite the fact that for almost all of them their education has been funded by mining company bursaries.
In order to address this, we need to implement and execute our women in mining strategy: ■ We need to get more young girls interested in maths and science, and follow a path into mining at university. ■ We need to develop and recruit those woman engineers into the industry (and to do that we need to have a thriving, growing industry). Women do enter mining faculties at universities, and they succeed academically. But we need to get them to come and work for mining companies, and not for the more lucrative financial services sector, once they graduate. ■ We need to make workplaces more welcoming and accommodating towards women, physically, mentally and culturally. ■ And we need to modernise the way we work – less reliance on physical fitness and greater reliance on mental agility. n
GENDER EQUITY
Canyon Coal advances women in mining
By Nelendhre Moodley
Coal miner Canyon Coal continues to promote women in mining, with 79 of its 297 employees being women – translated, this is 26.5% of its workforce. SA Mining recently spoke to human resources manager
Dineo Maphutha about the company’s focus on gender equity.
WHAT MEASURES DOES CANYON COAL HAVE IN PLACE TO ATTRACT WOMEN TO THE MINING SECTOR?
Canyon Coal prioritises key and core career opportunities in mining for females, such as operators of articulated dump trucks (ADTs), excavators, dozers and graders, among others.
“Canyon Coal has highly competent, dedicated and driven women ensuring that the company achieves its growth and sustainability targets.“ – Maphutha
IS THE COMPANY ALIGNED TO THE MINING CHARTER REQUIREMENTS FOR GENDER EQUITY? HOW MANY WOMEN ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED AND WHAT PLANS ARE IN PLACE TO GROW THIS NUMBER?
The company is aligned to the Employment Equity Act (legislation that is used as a yardstick for the achievement of gender equity in the workplace). Of the 297 employees (as at the end of May 2021), 79 are female, and 51 are appointed in mining (with 28 in core mining positions and 23 in mining support services positions: weighbridge, stores and control room).
Across every department from human resources to mine management and everything in between, Canyon Coal has many highly competent, dedicated and driven women who are working tirelessly to ensure that the company achieves its growth and sustainability targets.
Nonhlanhla Maseko, ADT operator at Phalanndwa Extension
NONHLANHLA MASEKO
Canyon Coal has chosen to profile Nonhlanhla Maseko, an ADT operator at its Phalanndwa Extension mine in Delmas, Mpumalanga:
I am a 35-year-old single mother of two. I was born and bred in Delmas. I attended schools in and around Delmas from preprimary to matric. A er finishing school, I completed an administrator course.
However, I couldn’t find work in and tiring work, I find it very rewarding, and I enjoy it greatly. I encourage young girls to become ADT operators. They should always be striving to study new things, such as mining engineering, electrician, boiler maker, so they can advance their careers in mining.
Because of the experience that I have gained to date, I would like to become a mining assessor. This is because I would love to teach people about the many di erent and fascinating aspects of the mining industry, especially how to operate large mining machines.
I would like to teach people how these machines work and how to operate them safely. I am also currently a safety, health and environment representative, but I am also interested in one day studying more in order to become a full-time safety o icer at the mine.
I also want to say that although this is a male-dominated sector, all my male colleagues have been very supportive of my female colleagues and me. Canyon Coal provides a healthy, safe and secure work environment for us as women in the mining sector. ■
Lizzy Mtsweni, plant operator at Khanye Colliery.
administration, so I decided to also undertake an ADT course. A er completing my ADT course, I applied for an ADT operator position at Phalanndwa Colliery in 2017. I moved over to the then new nearby Phalanndwa Extension in 2020. My dream was in fact to become a social worker, but because of financial constraints I was unable to pursue this dream.
My parents passed away when I was a little child and I was raised by my grandmother, who has also passed away. But these challenges didn’t stop me. I started undertaking small courses that didn’t cost me too much, such as the ADT course.
I have learnt so much since starting work at Phalanndwa Colliery and Phalanndwa Extension because when I came here, I knew nothing about mining.
Since then I have learnt many key lessons, including how to always work safely, how extraction of ore happens in a mining pit, how to work with people, and I have since become a strong and confident woman.
Although operating an ADT can be tough
Dineo Maphutha, human resources manager.
DO LEGISLATIVE PREFERENCES FOR WOMEN DRIVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN THE MINING SECTOR?
By Lili Nupen, Director at NSDV
From including “women” in the definition of “historically disadvantaged persons” in the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, to various legislated amendments (think the specific focus on the inclusion of women in ownership, procurement, and employment equity in the Mining Charter, for example), it’s clear that the will to empower women in a historically male-dominated industry is there from an industry and government perspective.
As a result, today you’ll find more female CEOs in major mining companies than ever before. That said, the question of genuine equality remains.
ARE WOMEN TREATED AS EQUALS, TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND RESPECTED IN THE SAME VEIN AS THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS, OR DOES THE LEGISLATED PREFERENCE PLACE US AT A DISADVANTAGE BECAUSE OUR INCLUSION IS REQUIRED?
Many people fear that when women are hired to fulfil legal criteria, the merits of their appointment will be secondary to their selection. That apprehension is a little myopically misplaced, I think.
The legal requirements encourage companies to provide women with opportunities to perform critical roles and functions that were historically held by men. According to the Minerals Council South Africa, women now represent 16% of top management in mining, and general representation has grown from around 11 400 in 2002 to 54 154 in 2018.
As these numbers continue to improve, more and more women have the opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in ways that are hopefully impossible to ignore.
Legislated preference is the catalyst for women to emphasise their innate talent and put the cynical box ticking to rest.
Given the chance, women in mining are already excelling and driving significant performance improvement. Trailblazers like Nolitha Fakude and Natascha Viljoen are rising above the parapet and providing new and innovative ways of managing traditional operations, leading with an eye on inclusion and collaboration. They proudly embrace their feminine approach while achieving phenomenal results in the process.
To my mind, this points to one thing: while the legislated regime alone might not achieve the desired result, it’s opening the door for more women who’ll have no trouble achieving it for themselves.
NSDV is a fully integrated law and consultancy firm specialising in mining, construction and environmental law.
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Lili Nupen Director at NSDV
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