Alumni relationships Featuring Nozipho Dlamini

ALUMNI RELATIONSHIPS

Mining alumna appointed to the Board of the University’s Convocation

Nozipho Dlamini is an alumna of the Department, and obtained her honours and a master’s degrees in Technology Management from the University’s Graduate School of Technology Management. She is currently a Technical Services Manager at one of South Africa’s most productive underground coal mines, Anglo American’s Greenside Colliery. Managing a large, multidisciplinary team keeps her on her toes, and her thinking needs to be versatile and dynamic.

What she loves most about her job is the fact that each day is unique with interesting challenges and exciting opportunities. Nozipho also enjoys seeing the synergy between her team members as they work towards a common goal. She encourages them to continuously improve and innovate. Dlamini believes in contributing to the development of the industry, and in 2020 was proud to be appointed the first female Vice-President of the South African Colliery Managers Association (SACMA) – a professional body for managers in the South African coalmining industry.

Through all of her success, the University of Pretoria holds a special place in Dlamini’s heart, and she is always willing to serve the institution and make a contribution to her Alma Mater as it continues to grow to become among the best tertiary institutions in the world. It is therefore with great pride that she accepted two high-profile advisory positions in 2020 to support the University and the Department. The first was as a member of the Board of the University’s Convocation, where she acts in an advisory capacity on alumni matters for the University, as well as for the ViceChancellor and Principal. The second was as a member of the Mining Engineering Advisory Board, which comprises leaders from industry and academia who advise the Department on industry trends to keep its programmes relevant and highly recognised.

The Department boasts with alumni in the top ranks of business and industry. It is particularly proud to have contributed to the careers of leaders like Nozipho, who actively serve their Alma Mater.

Dlamini’s view of the industry

When considering the challenges that are faced in the mining industry, Dlamini admits that the mines struggle to retain female talent in core technical roles. In this regard, she explains that a lot of work has been done to improve infrastructure and personal protective equipment for women. “A working environment that accommodates and supports women should be standard now across the mining industry,” she says.

Dlamini believes that the challenge now lies with long hours and inflexible work schedules, as some women who have left the industry have done so to spend more time with their families, or have taken on roles that give them more flexibility in terms of time. However, she is confident that digitalisation and automation will take mining to the next level and allow for more flexible work schedules. “There is a lot of exciting work to be done in that space,” she comments, observing that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that more work can be done remotely if systems are set up and teams are empowered, accountable and have autonomy.

In terms of coal mining in particular, she observes that community development and sustainability issues, environmental concerns and reduced investments are among the key challenges. Therefore, keeping a coal mine sustainable, profitable and in harmony with the mine’s surrounding environment is an interesting challenge that keeps her motivated. She says that she constantly needs to think outside the box to improve productivity and sustainability. “Working with a dynamic team and ensuring that I can create an environment for them to be creative, engaged and challenged is what keeps me going,” she explains.