Women contribute to growth of mining sector

19 Mar, 2023 - 00:03 0 Views
Women contribute to growth of mining sector Ms Elizabeth Nerwande

The Sunday News

Judith Phiri, Features Reporter

Zimbabwe, just like any other country, has seen a number of women joining the mining sector and breaking barriers in the male-dominated sector.
Women make up 11 to 15 percent of the estimated 50 000 small-scale miners in the country, with the mining industry being one of the economic mainstays contributing about 70 percent of the country’s foreign currency earnings.

With March being Women’s Month, we celebrate and acknowledge the impact women have had and their contributions to society, the economy, culture, and politics, also looking at those that are immensely contributing to the mining sector. In an interview, Mimosa Mining Company Head Corporate Affairs and Past President of the Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe, Mrs Elizabeth Nerwande said when it comes to competence from both males and females in mining, there must be a de-emphasis on gender and an increased weighting on competence.

“It must be understood that in some cases what men can do women can also do. Fortunately, in my career within the mining industry, I have also been given the honour to lead the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe, as president, an honour that was given to me as a woman for the first time. So, I believe there is a need for a deliberate policy to ensure that there is a greater representation of women in mining but that must not be at the expense of competence which also means that even men within the mining sector must come to an understanding that women too are equally good,” said Mrs Nerwande.

Mining

She said as an organisation, Mimosa now had female geologists, metallurgists, and surveyors as a way of moving away from stereotypes. Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) member and Zvishavane Glory Women in Mining Association chairperson, Mrs Chiedza Tsikai said it was time women miners were recognised for the contribution they were making to the sector and assisted to overcome the challenges they face.

“The number of women joining the mining sector is continuously growing especially as artisanal and small-scale miners. These women have little or no proper knowledge about the right standards of mining. Women need to be trained about proper mining standards while health and safety training programmes are key to improve the scope of their work, mitigate risks, spur their growth and increase their returns in general,” said Mrs Tsikai.

She said women who make up more than 10 percent of artisanal and small-scale miners were also in need of capital, machinery and consumables to engage in various mining and processing activities within the mining sector.

Mrs Tsikai said in Zvishavane, there was a growing potential for women venturing into chrome and gold mining but they were failing to get the machinery needed to carry out their activities. “Most women have to hire compressors, excavators, water pumps and generators, among other machinery and equipment.

This affects their production if they do not manage to get much output. At the end of the day production costs then outweigh the amount they get after selling their ore,” she added.

Statistics show that women represent an estimated eight to 17 percent of the global mining workforce. While breaking down the sector in terms of senior leadership roles, a global women’s network, McKinsey Women found that female representation within mining company C-suites sits at 13 percent.

This has resulted in local organisations such as the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) setting up a women’s desk. YMF Young Women Affairs director Mrs Everdine Deshe said as an organisation, they were stepping up efforts to develop projects that specifically speak to the development of young women miners.

“Men have remained the gatekeepers in the mining sector and it has increasingly been difficult for women to excel in this male-dominated industry due to a number of factors which range from gender discrimination, gender violence, general misconceptions and myths.

The Young Women Miner’s Unit aims at serving as a platform and network that allows young women in mining to find and support one another. It will also be a platform where women can be empowered to understand and exercise their right to work in an environment that is free from discrimination and abuse,” said Mrs Deshe.

Among other women championing the growth of women miners, Miss Mines Zimbabwe beauty pageant founder Ms Nomsa Hilda Mpofu said there was a need for educational awareness on mining business, women empowerment and protection programess in the mining sector. She said these would build the confidence of most women miners so that they do not hesitate going to high protocol offices to get the proper paperwork thinking that those offices are not made for them.

“I have developed a pageant Miss Mines Zimbabwe which sought to celebrate rural life and uplift the lives of rural girls, who have, for a long time, bemoaned marginalisation. We recognise and celebrate women miners in all provinces as a way of empowering them.”

In her research paper, Young Miners Foundation co-patron responsible for Young Women Affairs, Mrs Anna Mupawaenda said there was a need for mentorship and coaching of small-scale women miners from a women leadership perspective.

She said research has shown that mentoring women helps overcome most of the challenges in the workplace as working women owned over 10 million businesses and made up almost 47 percent of the workforce. Working with a number of women in the mining sector, Lenrage Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Consultancy co-founder Mrs Hellen Nekati said women were resilient and could adapt to changes in their environment at any given time and still flourish in what they do, as seen in the sector.

“Women in mining have grown in percentage since the 1990s and like all miners, they have challenges and successes. What these women need is assistance so that they can grow their operations and those who are operating illegally should be assisted to formalise their operations.”
Commenting on formalisation of women miners, ZMF Matabeleland North chairperson Ms Jane Lusinga who is a miner in Bubi District said exploration was key for them as miners.

“Most artisanal and small-scale miners, especially women, can’t afford to undertake exploration in areas that they are mining due to its high costs. This has resulted in haphazard digging in search of the minerals. However, we are calling upon Government to come to the miners’ assistance by setting up programmes that can aid them to undertake exploration in their areas of operation.”

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