MINING IN FOCUS
At the age of 31, she ran away from an abusive
marriage in search of work. She found herself
in Mererani, a small town in Tanzania, in the
foothills of Kilimanjaro. She soon found out
that this was the only place in the world
where tanzanite was mined. Pili dressed up
like a man, changed her name and entered
the mine. She worked 10–12 hours a day
in the heat, hundreds of metres below the
ground, proving that she was physically
capable and had no issues with the
temperature. She was known by her co-
workers as Uncle Hussein.
"I could go 600m under, into the
mine. I would do this more bravely
than many other men. I was very
strong, and I was able to deliver
what men would expect another
man could do."
Pili dug her way to riches when
she uncovered two massive clusters
of tanzanite stones and used her
fortune to build houses for her father,
mother and twin sister. She then
purchased the tools and resources she
would need to start her own company
and employed miners to work for her.
www. africanmining.co.za
African Mining Publication
Today, Pili owns her own mining company and has 70
employees working for her – paving the way for women in
mining and marketing.
Pushing legal boundaries
In 2002, the South African Mining Charter was introduced to
begin balancing out the playing field with regards to women
in mining. The Charter was introduced to ensure that mining
companies included 10% of women in their total workforce
by 2009.
Why is it so important for women to be a part of the mining
sector? By including women in the mining sector, it not
only promotes diversity, but can also improve economic
performance and lead to better decision-making processes.
For women, life is a constant balancing game. They juggle
careers, children, households, and more, finding solutions
to everyday challenges. It’s the reason multitasking comes
so naturally to them; making them the ideal problem-
solvers in the working world. They also have high emotional
intelligence – the ability to recognise one’s own and other
people’s emotions and be able to relate. This is the key to
both personal and professional success.
Furthermore, the odds are against women to lead. They
face constant challenges in what is to some extent still seen
as a ‘man’s world’. This gives them more reason to prove
themselves and fight for their place at the top.
African Mining
African Mining October 2019
27