24 August 2006
North West Premier Edna Molewa has applauded Anglo Platinum for bringing
together women miners, organised labour, management and executives across Anglo
Platinum Group Operations as well as external experts on mining and related
issues, seeking what is best for the mining industry and the country.
Premier Molewa was addressing women attending the �Women in Mining
Conference Gala Dinner at the Rustenburg Civic Centre on Thursday, 24 August
2006.
Premier Molewa said, �While legislative, policy and institutional
interventions as well as the collective deeds of men and women of our society
have advanced the status and welfare of women in our country immensely, there
is still a perverse and undeniable economic gap between men and women in our
society.�
�This conference must as a first step, begin by creating sufficient
awareness around issues of women in mining as a necessary step towards ensuring
that more and more women are equipped to participate in this important aspect
of our economy,� she said.
From the government�s point of view, she asked �I would be interested in
knowing to what extent the mining sector and Anglo Platinum in particular have
been implementing the Mining Charter�s imperatives as they relate to them, as
well as the critical role that women must play in transforming the mining
industry in our country?
She says, �It is imperative to ask if a conducive environment has been
created to enable maximum participation of women in the mining industry. Have
we improved access to funding? Are we availing more opportunities to women and
do they know about such opportunities?�
Premier Molewa said the provincial government has in the economic
development and growth initiatives, including the Provincial Growth and
Development Strategy (PGDS) and Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for
South Africa (AsgiSA), identified mining as one of the critical pillars of the
South African economy and therefore of economic growth that will assist many
people to have employment, food, decent housing, access to economic
opportunities and the possibility to live a better life than in the past.
�We therefore count the mineworkers that are gathered here, as well as their
managers and external experts on mining and related issues, as our critical
partners in the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, in the Accelerated
and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa and its programme of the Joint
Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA), as well as in the rapid
growth of our province into a prosperous community whose growth and resources
are shared by the people,� she said.
As a matter of fact, the mining legislation, along with the official
broad-based economic empowerment policy and the Mining Charter, have begun to
open the mining sector to new and smaller mining interests historically
imprisoned in the second economy.
�That is why, among other things, we must move swiftly as provincial
government to launch, in partnership with Anglo Platinum, a platinum-branded
range called �Djadji�, as a South African platinum jewellery marketing company.
At present, seven of our local retailers are already stocking the Djadji
platinum range,� she said.
Premier Molewa said that while it is fact that mining has been a
historically predominantly male occupation, �There is therefore an immediate
need to successfully challenge the mindset that says mining is not for women.
In our books, nothing is not for women! Remember, women make up more than 50
percent of our population!� she said.
�I would venture to suggest that because of the history and character of the
mining industry in particular and our society in general, this conference must
lead us in discussing issues such as all forms of threats to women, sexual
harassment in the workplace, pregnancy as well as the challenge of HIV and
AIDS,� she said.
Issued by:
Cornelius Monama
Spokesperson North West Provincial Government
Tel: (018) 387 3456
Cell: 082 578 4063
Enquiries:
Russel Mamabolo
Tel: (018) 387 3103
Cell: 082 900 6610
Issued by: North West Provincial Government
24 August 2006
