PPM WIM representative Relebohile Nkuna
In striving towards the mining industry’s transformation goals, 33% of Pilanesberg Platinum Mine’s (PPM’s) workforce are female, while 20% of its senior management team are women.
In a release celebrating women’s month, PPM says it established a Women in Mining (WIM) Committee in 2018 to ensure gender equality, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.
The Minerals Council South Africa in August 2020 published a goal to achieve 30% to 40% women representation across the industry, and 50% in management, by 2025.
WIM representative Relebohile Nkuna says the committee aims not only to address issues of gender inequality and discrimination at work, but also to have a positive impact on the role women play in transforming the industry.
She explains that, while there has been much improvement in the inclusion of women in the mining industry, it still struggles with the challenge of attracting and retaining women.
“We have consequently created a number of strategies and initiatives to profile opportunities for women in mining and we are confident that if we continue this way, PPM will meet the industry’s 2025 goal of having a fair and gender-inclusive and diverse industry.”
PPM COO Casper Badenhorst confirms that women at PPM have played an instrumental role in building the organisation into a diverse and inclusive environment that has enabled all employees to perform to the best of their abilities.
“As we celebrate Women’s Month, we acknowledge that PPM has made great strides in opening up the industry to include women, both as workers and in leadership positions.
“However, we need to continue looking at the role that business can play in creating an equal working environment for women and not only in August.
“We want Zero Harm to not just be a value on our walls, but a way of life and culture at PPM, and aim to ensure PPM is a place where people can be their true selves and where respect and dignity are maintained,” he states.