In the stope
Mandlakazi Semane : the ‘ supercool ’ face of mining
Mandlakazi Semane has an impressive track record in the mining industry and continues to pave her way to success through hard work and commitment , writes Leon Louw .
Mandlakazi , you were recently appointed as the first black female plant manager at Kumba Iron Ore ’ s Kolomela Mine in the Northern Cape . Tell us a bit about your progression through the ranks .
My undergraduate degree was in chemistry at the then Technicon of Natal ( today , the Durban University of Technology ). At the start of my studies , I never thought of working in the mining industry . As things turned out , however , I joined Anglo American ( then it was still known as Kumba Resources ) in the research and development arm of the Department of Raw Materials Technology . As a technician in mineralogy , I specialised in the characterisation of iron ore . During this time , I completed an honours degree at the University of Pretoria , specialising in metallurgy , before the company appointed me as process engineer .
My responsibility was to characterise raw materials and iron ore , and to determine the value of iron ore in an iron-making environment . In this role , I worked very closely with the technical marketing teams , who actually sold our products .
In a nutshell , I started at the end of Kumba ’ s value chain when I joined the mining industry in 2002 .
Since then you have held a few other interesting positions ?
I moved to Sishen as a senior process engineer , where I was responsible for product handling . There I was involved in the final product side of the business . Soon after that , I joined the logistics team and became the distribution manager for the Northern Cape , which included distributing Sishen and Kolomela ’ s product . I worked there for two years , then went for a short stint at Thabazimbi , before moving back to Sishen where I was appointed as jig production manager from 2014 to 2016 . My last position at Sishen was section manager technical services before moving to Kolomela as plant manager .
So , you have only just started at Kolomela ?
Yes , my first day at Kolomela was on the first of June .
Tell me about your challenges of getting involved in the mining industry and the challenges you have experienced over the years ?
I studied chemistry , and my ambition was to work in the chemical industry . I never really saw myself in the mining industry . So , it was a complete change of the initial plan . I ended up in mining by default , and I started enjoying it a lot .
When I started in the mining industry in 2002 , it was not easy for a woman . Women were not always as well respected as their male counterparts . However , at the time , there were focused programmes to make workers aware that women play a vital role in the engineering space , and that they add immense value . These programmes helped , so from then on there was a lot of support , a lot of coaching , and a lot of mentoring .
The transition was needed . But yes , I suppose it wasn ’ t always an easy journey . But I also learned that when people realise that you are adding value , and that you are not just a token and are very competent and delivering on your targets , their attitudes change .
Do you see a difference in the attitudes today compared to what it would have been in the past ?
There has been a general change in attitudes over the years . Today , people are more open and we all know what we are supposed to do . People are more accepting , and there has been a transition .
The playing fields are now level , and it is about what value the person brings to the table . It is about your competence and not just about ticking boxes and complying . Kumba has progressed exceptionally well . We are in a good space and do not get the same complaints that we had to deal with 10 years ago . I am convinced that we have made good progress .
We have a platform at Kumba called Women in Mining . This platform was established to make sure that women ’ s voices are heard at a very high level . Kumba has put in a lot of effort to ensure a safe space for all its workers .
[ 26 ] MINING MIRROR OCTOBER 2018