SA NEWS
The Institute of Quarrying
will be hosting a special 50th
anniversary annual conference
over the two days of Thursday
11 and Friday 12 April 2019.
A static exhibition will be
staged at the Elangeni Hotel in
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, which
will be open for the duration
of the conference and will give
the delegates an opportunity
to view the latest technology in
the quarrying industry.
The exhibition will be open
from 8:00 to 17:00 on the
Thursday and 8:00 to 13:00
on the Friday. Time has been
set aside for an official visit
by delegates to the indoor
exhibition. Presentation of
trophies for the top-three
stands and a lucky draw will be
held on 12 April at the end of
the conference.
The keynote presentation
will be “My Father’s Coat”, an
acclaimed story by Michael
Charton — the realisation of his
decade-long ambition to make
the incredible story of South
Africa more accessible. For
Charton’s belief is that our past,
notwithstanding the trauma,
holds within it great powers
of unity. This is South African
history as it has never been told:
An emotional and provocative
story tracking two hundred
tumultuous years through the
eyes of five interconnected
Institute of Quarrying’s 50th Annual Conference
The Institute of Quarrying will be hosting a special 50th anniversary
annual conference on 11 and 12 April 2019.
and controversial protagonists:
Mzilikazi, Kruger, Rhodes,
Smuts, and Mandela.
This will be followed by
a panel discussion with
international presidents, with
the first morning closing with
a DMR paper presented by
Aspasa director, Nico Pienaar.
Institute of Quarrying president
Simon Tose highlights the
afternoon with a presentation
on the changing quarry
industry.
“Nothing fits,” has long been
a lament by women in mining
around the world, desperate
to find professional wear
that is flattering while still
comfortable. For the women
who work on Exxaro’s mines,
this is no longer something
they have to confront.
Following a redesign of their
protective clothing to suit the
female body shape, worries
about ill-fitting clothing, hard
hats, and footwear are a thing
of the past. The redesign of the
personal protective equipment
(PPE) clothing is an initiative
undertaken by Exxaro’s Women
in Mining (WIM) committees
to attract more women to
mining and to empower the
females who work in the male-
dominated industry.
Women represent only 13%
of the mining labour force
of 464 667, according to the
Minerals Council South Africa.
“The PPE we provide
to our female employees
who work on the mines is
much more comfortable
4_QUARRY SA| MARCH/APRIL 2019
than it was previously,” says
Exxaro’s executive head
of human resources and
WIM chairperson, Vanisha
Balgobind, “and it is all
thanks to the Women in
Mining committees, who are
passionate about who they are
and their contribution to their
work.” Balgobind says Exxaro
aims to ensure that women-
empowerment initiatives at all
levels make a difference both
to Exxaro and the broader
mining industry. The designers
designed three types of
uniforms and piloted it at sites
to get feedback from female
miners before rolling it out
throughout their mines.
Other initiatives of the WIM
committees are: makeover
of change rooms to have a
feminine touch; self-defence
courses; Women’s Day
celebrations; embracing the
male counterparts in ensuring
Exxaro is successful; and
celebrating their uniqueness
and oneness for the better of
the organisation and society.
Exxaro undertakes makeovers to power better lives
for female miners
The PPE provided to female employees who work on the mines
is much more comfortable than it was previously.
To protect women who work
underground, underground
toilets are reserved for women’s
exclusive use as they are
secured with locks to which
only the women have the access
codes. There is also a project
under way called ‘women in
distress button’, where lamps
used by women are to be
upgraded to include panic
buttons. To further ensure their
safety, all female miners have
a direct hotline to the CEO
to whom they can report any
victimisation, assault, or other
issues.
“One of the focuses for
the next year is to bring men
into the Women in Mining
committees so they [men] can
become aware of challenges
women face in mining,”
Balgobind says.
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