Women in mining, not just pink hard hats

It's not just the pink hard hats that set the group of newly qualified grader operators apart; instead, it is their enthusiasm that is just as attention-grabbing. Women like Lorato Mohutsiwa will soon be handling the machinery used to upgrade and cut roads around mining operations.

"It shouldn't matter that I am a female, all that is important is whether I can do the job or not. We've been trained well, and we now have a golden opportunity to show people that we can do any job a man can do, and that we can do it just as well as they can."

The group of eight women trailblazers are not afraid of getting dirty, of adversity or a good challenge. "At first it looked like intaba (uphill battle) but with training we realised we were born to do this," a self-assured Bontle Dipole said.

It is not just the weight of the grader, which is almost twice as heavy as an average car, which makes their new careers challenging. Their work requires them to co-ordinate their grading operations with the crew working around them. They need to judge the angle of the blade and the curve of the road while steering a 3,000kg piece of machinery and operating levers and buttons.

Experiential training

This is the sort of experience that is best learnt in the field. Now that formal training is completed, the women are being placed on different projects to get experiential training.

Thabiso Lesley Masegela, the group's training instructor, is excited about their chances of success. "The women are hard workers and are always ready with questions. With that attitude, they will undoubtedly be first rate members of our operations team."

Bontle says her future at Kumba is bright as she believes that success is determined by the amount of effort put in, a good attitude and sheer determination.

"Where we start or end our careers has nothing to do with us being women. Success will come from hard work, being determined to give it your all and being passionate and devoted to making it to the top."

It is this shared commitment, which saw Kumba being awarded with a 'Top National Engendered Company' award in 2011. Giving women like Bontle and Lorato an opportunity is part of Kumba's on-going efforts to improve gender equality.

Kumba Iron Ore CEO, Norman Mbazima, is especially proud of the strides the company has made in an industry traditionally seen as masculine. "From our boardroom to our mines we want women to have access to the many rewarding career opportunities available in our industry. We don't see it as giving women a chance to be equal to men; we see it as laying the foundation for them to be exceptional."