Modern Mining August 2024

WOMEN IN MINING

Attracting women by creating an inclusive culture in mining With over 40% of executive posts filled by women in the South African arm of Sandvik Rock Processing, women’s empowerment is well entrenched within the business. A ccording to Lylian Kgatla, Human Resources Manager South Africa at Sandvik Rock Processing, this reflects years of commitment to becoming the employer of choice in the field of comminution – including crushing, screening

and feeding solutions. Its gender ratio considerably exceeds the Sandvik group objectives, which aim to achieve a 25% representation of women in management across the company worldwide. “Key among our values is to foster a culture that is inclusive, so that we attract and develop the best quality people from a range of demographics and backgrounds,” says Kgatla. “Our use of the term ‘empowerment’ does not imply that there are vulnerable people in our ranks who need to be empowered. Rather, our female employees are already capable in their roles – and our focus is on further advancing their career growth and contribution to the business.” Sandvik Rock Processing invests heavily in post graduate studies for its managers to further build their expertise for leadership roles. Some of their female managers are busy with post-graduate degrees, including PhD level. Building on this success, the company is looking to increase the number of women it attracts at more junior levels in the company, ranging from internships and apprenticeships to learnerships and graduate programmes. This is proving to be a challenging task, as there are many stubborn preconceptions about the mining sector that discourage potential new female entrants. “On the whole, mining is still male-dominated, even though there has been considerable change in recent decades,” she explains. “It is certainly an industry with demanding working conditions, but there is also the ongoing challenge of gender based violence in South Africa – which contributes to many women choosing to pursue a career in other industries.” Sandvik Rock Processing targets women in its internships where students’ studies could be sponsored, followed by gaining practical work experience within the company. Here, they work in the engineering, sales and aftermarket aspects of the business. Learnerships are also supported, where the company partners with service providers to provide theoretical training to learners with Sandvik Rock Processing providing the practical training. “We still see more opportunity for women to build their careers with us from apprenticeship level, and we continue working to interest more youth in this option,” says Kgatla. Reiterating the importance of an inclusive culture within the business and in mining generally, she points out that the sector often struggles to retain its female employees. This can be the result of women feeling that the environment is not supportive enough of their aspirations.

Lylian Kgatla, Human Resources Manager South Africa at Sandvik Rock Processing.

Tshudufhadzo Tshaduli (Internship Programme) and Mbali Zwane (Learnership Programme) at Sandvik Rock Processing.

“We are pleased to be directly addressing this challenge by creating women leaders who act as role models and even mentors to other women in the company,” she says. “It is not just about the numbers of women employed, or the number of female executives; our focus is on ensuring that our numbers support a conducive culture for transformation.” 

28  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | AUGUST 2024