Deputy Minister Phumzile Mgcina: Women in Mining South Africa Breakfast

Programme Director,
Board Chairperson of WiMSA, Ms Noleen Pauls and all board members Leadership of Organised Women Associations
Representatives of Mining Companies
Representatives of Government and State-Owned Entities Distinguished Guests

Good morning

Let me start by expressing our gratitude to the Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA) for inviting us to participate in this important meeting which has brought together distinguished women to share insights on measures to empower and uplift women in the South African mining industry.

This being my maiden participation at the Invest in African Mining Indaba, I find great comfort in that the last two days of the indaba have demonstrated that women participation in the industry is being embraced, as evidenced by the courageous discussions about the real challenges and opportunities that women continue to face in the mining industry.

Our assessment of the progress made in the transformation of the South African mining industry since the dawn of democracy in 1994, has also confirmed the remarkable strides the industry is making in terms of women and youth participation.

Coming from an era where women were not allowed to participate in the industry because of the perception that “women are physically incapable than men and that mining duties could only be done by men”, through the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), we have successfully opened-up the sector to include women and youth. It is thus fulfilling that today, more than 70 000 women are active participants in the South African mining industry, up from 11 000 in 2002.

Despite this progress, we are, however, mindful of the fact that some mining companies lag behind on gender transformation as pointed out by the studies conducted by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). Our primary task as delegates to this Indaba, and social partners in the South African mining industry, is to ensure that women representation translates into meaningful and positive change in the lives of all women.

To do this and, subsequently realise the Freedom Charter’s vision that “the people shall share in the country’s wealth”, we must ensure that women find representation in all decision-making structures.

The truth of the matter is that we do not have enough women in decision making structures, both in the mining industry and the economy in general. Empowering and uplifting women to occupy leadership roles in the mining industry is not just a matter of fairness, but a fundamental principle for sustainable socioeconomic development. We must work together to create a conducive working environment for women to thrive as chief executive officers, chief operations officers, mine managers, chief safety officers, shift bosses, and miners.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources remains steadfast in its efforts to promote gender equality and empower women, as evidenced by the significant advances made through the exploration fund and the artisanal and small-scale mining fund. I am positive that you will find comfort in that, following the first funding call for R160 million through the exploration fund, eight projects have been approved to receive the funding, of which three projects are 100% black female-owned, and all other projects are not less than 50% black-owned.

In addition, at least three of the projects selected to receive funding from the R67 million artisanal and small-scale mining fund are also 100% black-female-owned.

We are also steaming ahead with our women and youth training programme on small-scale mining. At least 223 women have been trained in seven regions, of which some were placed on-the-job practical training in various local mining companies.
In August last year, the Mine Health and Safety Council (MHSC) convened the Women in Mining Indaba which brought together women from various sectors to engage on critical issues affecting women in the mining industry under the theme “Nothing about us, without us…”.

Throughout the discussions, it became clear that gender discrimination remained a widespread challenge in the mining industry. It is despicable that pregnant and lactating women continue to be pushed out of the industry because of the stigma that is associated with pregnancy. The delegates to the Indaba deplored this discrimination and called on all social partners in the industry – government, business, and labour – to break the silos and adopt a collective responsibility of ensuring fair and ethical treatment of pregnant and lactating women. We must do this without fail and ensure that we timely implement all the resolutions of the indaba, including a proposal that these women get deployed in alternative roles that are less exposed to high risk environments as opposed to unfairly dismissing them from work.

In cognisant of the fact that Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) remains predominant in South Africa and thereby impacting on almost every aspect of our lives, in August last year, the department gazetted the Guidance Note for the management of GBVF to provide guidance on addressing GBVF, safety, and security issues for women in the mining industry. Guided by this note, we intend to eradicate all social ills in the mining industry by putting in place clear reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of GBVF in the mining industry and ensure optimal support of initiatives by stakeholders. We, therefore, call on the industry to adhere to the guidelines in order to eradicate GBVF in the South African mining industry.

Notwithstanding the progress we are making on health and safety at our mines as shown by the record improvement in the 2024 statistics where the industry recorded zero fatalities involving female mineworkers, the greatest concern to us remains the poor fit and quality of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for women. We cannot continue in this fashion. It is, therefore, essential for the industry to comply with the provisions of the reviewed guideline on the selection and provision of PPE for Women in Mining.

The health and safety of all mineworkers remains paramount; hence, our resolve to ensure that all mineworkers, in particular the female mineworkers, not only feel safe in the workplace, but they return home from work unharmed every day. It is, therefore, concerning that in 2024, we had 185 injuries affecting women, despite the notable drop from 234 in 2023.

We reiterate our call for enhanced collaboration between all social partners in the South African mining industry to attain the goal of zero harm.

With that said, allow me to yet again express our appreciation to the board and the management of WiMSA for having me today. I can assure you of our commitment to working with the industry in empowering and uplifting women in the South African mining industry.

I thank you.

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