Chairperson, Makete Thema
Members and Executive Board of the Society
Ladies and gentlemen
I am pleased to be here in this distinguished institution of higher learning to speak about the empowerment of women in the mining industry since the promulgation of the mining charter. It is ironic that I am doing this at the University whose very foundation and even survival was inextricably linked to the mining industry.
In fact, we have not lost the symbolism of the fact that most of the major mining companies have remained ‘officed’ or based in the Johannesburg city centre – a mere stone’s throw from here. And these mining houses have worked with the Gauteng government and the city of Johannesburg to ensure that this city survives – indeed benefits from - the inevitable changes to the metropolitan architecture and society after 1994.
We have responded positively to the invitation by this important student body, not merely because this is happening during the month of women. Nor is it we are merely following a tradition of invitation that is routinely extended to female ministers responsible for minerals. Nor, worse still, are we merely responding as part of an academic exercise, with us all disappearing to hide behind the façade of business as usual.
No, I personally accepted this invitation because to us in the Mining Ministry and department, the role and place of women in mining is not a mere luxury, or irrelevancy. It is a ‘democratic must’ and “the right thing to do”. It is something that must happen, and be made to happen, without delay. It is part of righting the wrongs of history.
The first point of departure is the fact that we must commend you for organising yourselves into this kind of formation. You will remember the slogan, “united we stand; divided we fall.” This form of student association is part of what is called student government. It should be seen as a highly necessary and useful institution on campus. Apart from experienced gained, and rubbing shoulders together in a cause, the rules and governance lessons that you receive from this association will stand you in good stead in the future – trust me, even though it may not seem so obvious now. You are part of a national and global movement forging ahead, in your case in mining, to bring about justice and fairness on the gender front. And it is not an easy campaign, given the antediluvian attitudes of so many men down the ages.
We in the ANC and the government realised early, even during the dark days of repression, that the mining industry was the pillar of strength of the South African economy. It was clear to the liberation movement that the industrialisation and modernisation of our country was a direct consequence of the mining industry. The freedom charter made bold the statement that strategic areas such as the banks and the minerals beneath our soil should belong to the people as a whole. It is up to us, today, to decide the means to achieve this.
In October 1998, guided by the ANC’s 1994 document ‘Minerals and Energy Policy’ and the 1992 ‘Ready to Govern’ document, cabinet approved the Minerals and Mining Policy for South Africa. This document has been neither amended nor changed and as such it still reflects the official policy position of the South African Government.
On the issue of access to mineral resources, the White Paper states that “Government’s long term objective is for all mineral rights to vest in the State for the benefit of and on behalf of all the people of South Africa”, and the policy further recognises “the State as the custodian of the nation’s mineral resources for the benefit of all”. Our political understanding of the South African State is that it exists for its people and performs functions and executes its mandate on behalf of the people of South Africa.
When considering this highly topical topic,let us be mindful of what Margaret Heffernan warns us about in her book Wilful Blindness: Why do we ignore the obvious at our peril, when she says, “… when individuals read, they focus on the information that supports their current opinion, paying less attention to anything that challenges their views. She furthers states that “….people are about twice as likely to seek information that supports their own point of view as they are to consider an opposing idea.” This is very instructive.
It is therefore obvious that the mining industry and ourselves come from different angles on this issue. Our starting points are not the same particularly when one glances through mountains of documents such as annual reports and sustainability reports of different mining companies.
The mining industry by its very nature and for historical reasons still reflects an ethos that is a reflection of the male dominance of this sector. And this is 17 years into our democracy. In a document called Women in mining: Legislation and representation for women in mining, Yeukani Mlambo makes an interesting point that the minimal participation of women in the mining industry “is not purely for social reasons, such as stereotypes – the participation of women in this sector has even been discouraged through legislation … for instance legal barriers prevented women from working underground through the South African Minerals Act of 1991 and this was happening while there were no laws that prevented women from working above ground and there were few women working in that area, too.
Yekeni concludes with a telling observation that the increase in technology in mining has resulted in changes in the stereotypes that portray mining as being for men.
As government we are pleased that we have made marginal improvement in the position of women since the introduction of the Mining Charter in 2002. The Mining Charter required mining companies to ensure that 10% of their total workforce should be women by the year 2009, compared only to the meager 2% in 2000. This has resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of women involved in artisanal mining, small scale mining where margins are low and where it takes longer to break even, as well as in operational roles ranging from miners and tractor operators to plant managers.
Even though mining companies have fallen short of the 10% target that was set by the charter it is only fair to say that this improvement is like the “curate’s egg” in that it is uneven and good in parts. But an egg like that, mind you, is not very impressive. I am still very concerned about these numbers particularly in view of the fact that the majority of women who are mentioned in these statistics are not involved the key operational responsibilities in the mining industry.
This industry, save for a few women, continues to hire women as HR personnel officers as well as cleaners and in other peripheral jobs. Women’s place is and should not be in the “kitchen (that is, soft jobs)” of these mining companies. We wish to see women occupying meaningful and even strategic jobs in the mining industry, including those at the senior level including at board level.
We are encouraging the involvement of more women in mining not only to contribute to the available working force that directly feeds the economy, but also to contribute to ending almost a century of the dominance of the male culture in this industry. These are good initiatives as they deal a severe blow to the archaic gender stereotypes that portray mining as being suitable for men only. This of course promotes gender equity in the industry.
In this regard women continue to feel marginalised in the mining industry. Yekeni’s paper shows results of some mining companies who fall short when it comes to ablution facilities underground; the male-biased protective gear that all miners are required to wear underground; high temperatures underground; as well as the inability of the women to work bare-chested owing to the clothes that they are expected to wear; inadequate and inappropriate housing for women workers, which means that women cannot live with their families closer to work, as opposed to males who can stay in hostels provided separately from their families.When you come to think of such detail, it is rank discrimination!
As an instance, in one major platinum producer, the drive to meet the 10% requirements showed that this company had been very slow, despite its having received assistance from the International Financial Corporation since 2007 to increase the number of women it employs. Yet, in 2010, a year after our deadline (reflected in the charter), women comprised only 6.8% of that company’s total workforce. This was the case despite the promise the company made when it applied for the renewal of its mining licences in 2009.
So it is clear that we have a long way to go to create the people-centred society in the mining industry that we talk about in the context of the broader political imperatives. It is clear that you, as the aspirant and prospective employees, workers or even owners of stocks in these mining companies, cannot abandon the activism that you surely will need to achieve the objectives of the mining charter. This activism must be broadened to cover all the nine areas which includes amongst others human resource development, employment equity, mine community and rural development, procurement, beneficiation taking into account the recently approved beneficiation strategy - as well as ownership.
In closing, I want to deal with something that keeps on being raised wherever I go: women and even men who get into mining all want to be instant millionaires. Some of these people enter the mining industry as Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) partners only to wait for the first opportunity to sell their stake in these entities with the sole purpose of making as much money as quickly as possible. All they want to do is to get rich and then get richer. These women (and also men, let it be said) are nothing but present- day reincarnations of the title of Angela Wrong’s award winning famous book, “It’s time to eat.” They discredit and slow down the progress of the essential objective of black and gender empowerment.
To sum up, there no doubt that, despite legislative support, and contrary to the South African Constitutional provisions that gender equality is required across the board, women in mining continue to be marginalised. Women are largely involved in small-scale and artisanal mining with an increasing number participating in mainstream and underground mining. The greatest challenge they face in the workplace is that they continue to be excluded and unrecognised by those who should be supporting their cause. In short, the presence of women in the mining sector should be fully and enthusiastically recognised, and given the right status - and their interests should be protected and promoted equally with those of their male counterparts.
Finally, despite the shortcomings in our system, the ANC-led government is totally committed to the advancement of black and gender empowerment in every sense. It is our firm belief that the mining charter is but a part of this grand scheme to reverse the many years of oppression and exploitation. It is a question of basic human rights.Black women in South Africa, with its history, have to endure the “double whammy”, of both gender and race – and often a triple whammy which includes poverty – not to mention the burdens they inevitably bear in terms of child-birth and rearing and caring.
As I salute you all, I invite you to join us in this long and hard route march – this new struggle for human rights. This is only the beginning.
I thank you!
All power to the women of our country, and the many men who support them!
