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August: Women in Mining Sector Are Leading The Way

Women in the mining industry are being honored in August

by Tommy Otobong
August: Women in Mining Sector Are Leading The Way

KEY POINTS


  • August honors the growing power of women in the mining industry, spotlighting their leadership and impact in a field traditionally dominated by men.
  • Women in mining are making things better by concentrating on sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity.
  • The accomplishments of pioneering women in mining, including Mpumi Zikalala, Lerato Molebatsi, and others, indicate how important they are to the future of the sector.

Women are creating more and more of a name for themselves in the mining business, which has always been male-dominated. These pioneering women are changing the future of mining by running big mining firms and fighting for gender equality , also changes to the law. Their leadership is not only bringing about change, but it is also opening doors for a new generation of women in the industry:

1. Mpumi Zikalala

Mpumi Zikalala – CEO, Kumba Iron Ore (South Africa)

Mpumi Zikalala – CEO, Kumba Iron Ore (South Africa)

Mpumi Zikalala runs Kumba Iron Ore Ltd., which is South Africa’s largest iron ore producer and a prominent player in the mining business around the world. In January 2022, she was chosen CEO, making her the first woman to head the company.

Zikalala began her career as a process engineer at De Beers in 2001. Over the years, she worked her way up through several leadership roles. In 2007, she became the first woman to be General Manager of De Beers Kimberley Mines.

She was named Managing Director of De Beers Group Managed Operations in 2019, which meant she was in control of operations in Canada and South Africa. The $2 billion Venetia Underground Project was a huge investment in the company’s future, and her leadership was vital to its success.

Zikalala’s major priority in Kumba is community development and sustainability. In 2023, she was the first CEO of a mining company to meet with traditional leaders in Kuruman, Northern Cape. She offered R1 million ($54,000) for a number of local projects, which shows how much she wants to make the world a better place.

Under her guidance, Kumba is spending R11.2 billion on ultra-high-dense-media-separation technology. This will triple the amount of high-quality iron ore that is made, which is in keeping with the trend around the world toward making green steel.

Zikalala is very much in favor of letting women work in the mining industry. She was also one of the Top 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining and the 2023 Campaign Ambassador for the International Day for Women in Mining. Her leadership not only shakes things up in the mining business, but it also makes it easier for women to get into mining in the future.

2. Nolitha Fakude

Nolitha Fakude – Chairperson, Anglo American South Africa

Nolitha Fakude – Chairperson, Anglo American South Africa

In South Africa’s corporate sector, Nolitha Fakude is a very significant person. People recognize her as a leader of a movement who cares a lot about include everyone. She is now in charge of Anglo American’s South African Management Board. She has been a big help in setting long-term goals for the company and pushing for more ecologically responsible mining operations.

Furthermore Fakude’s business is doing well, which demonstrates that she is strong and has a strategy for the future. She was born in Cenyu, a small hamlet in the Eastern Cape. Fakude began her career as a Graduate Trainee at Woolworths and then moved on to high-level positions in well-known companies like Sasol, Nedbank, and Datacentrix.

She was Sasol’s Executive Vice President for Strategy and Sustainability, and she did a great job of making sure that the company’s ambitions were in line with the aspirations of society as a whole.

In addition to her profession as an executive, Fakude has been a strong supporter of change and empowerment in South Africa. She was the first woman to run the Minerals Council South Africa, which has been operational for 131 years.

This shows that she wants to make it easier for everyone to get into the mining business. She is still in charge of strategy and corporate governance for various boards, including Discovery Bank Holdings and JSE Limited.

Fakude has earned a lot of prizes for her work, including the 2023 Brigadier Stokes Memorial Award, the Financial Mail’s Most Influential Businesswoman of 2004 award, and the Impala Platinum Young Entrepreneur Award. “Boardroom Dancing: Transformation Stories from a Corporate Activist” is her memoir about her life and how it might inspire women and other groups that aren’t adequately represented to become leaders.

3. Daphne Mashile-Nkosi

Daphne-Mashile-Nkosi-Executive Chairperson Kalagadi Manganese-(South-Africa).

Daphne-Mashile-Nkosi- Executive Chairperson Kalagadi Manganese-(South-Africa).

Daphne Mashile-Nkosi is a well-known figure in South Africa’s mining business. People know her for her innovative leadership and commitment to gender equality. As the Executive Chairperson of Kalagadi Manganese, she turned an empty territory in the Northern Cape into a thriving R7 billion mining firm. She is a powerful, visionary, also a confident leader for women. Her path from Soweto to the top of a global mining firm proves this.

In 1958, Mashile-Nkosi was born in Pilgrim’s Rest, Mpumalanga. She lived in Soweto, Johannesburg, as a child, and did a lot of things when she was younger, especially during the 1976 Soweto student movement against the apartheid government.

She started Kalagadi Manganese in 2001 as a way to turn her passion for social justice into a company. Black women control the business, and it has grown to be a major participant in the manganese industry around the world.

Under her leadership, Kalagadi Manganese has not only done well in business, but it has also set an example for how to be inclusive in the mining industry. In an industry where most people are men, Mashile-Nkosi made sure that at least 70 percent of the company’s stockholders are women. In addition she has done a lot to aid women in South Africa, and her support for women’s empowerment goes beyond the boardroom.

4. Melody Kweba

Melody Kweba – Mining Executive & Advocate (South Africa)

Melody Kweba – Mining Executive & Advocate (South Africa)

Melody Kweba is leading a movement in Africa’s mining industry that is changing the way things are done. She is pushing for more women to be included and empowered in a field that has been mostly male for a long time. She is the founding president of the Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA), and she has helped bring together 42 national organizations across the continent. These groups build capacity, promote sustainable practices, also advocate for policies that empower women to participate in mining.

Kweba is a well-known leader in South Africa’s mining industry and on the continent as a whole. She owns Emalahleni Colliery and is the chair of Basadi Ba Kopane Investment, which shows that she is serious about being in the business. Furthermore as president of the South African Women in Mining Association (SAWIMA), she has been a strong supporter of legislative changes and more funding for women businesses in mining.

Furthermore Kweba’s work has been recognized around the world, and she was designated one of the 100 Reputable Women of African Descent for 2025. Her work continues to inspire a new generation of women leaders. It shows that being an inclusive leader is not just the right thing to do, but also a smart move in the changing global mining industry.

5. Bridgette Radebe

Bridgette Radebe – Founder, Mmakau Mining (South Africa)

Bridgette Radebe – Founder, Mmakau Mining (South Africa)

Bridgette Radebe was born on February 26, 1960, and she is a pioneer in South Africa’s mining industry. During apartheid, when Black South Africans couldn’t get mining permits, she was the first Black woman to run a mining company in South Africa. She started Mmakau Mining and was its executive chairperson. She started in the 1980s by running small shaft mines and subsequently grew her business into a successful mining company. This shows how smart and business-savvy she is.

Radebe launched Mmakau Mining in 1995, and the company has grown into a major producer of platinum, gold, and chrome since then. The name “Mmakau” is a tribute to her village in North West Province, which indicates how closely linked she is to her ancestry.
Thanks to her leadership, the company has added equity in several mining projects to its portfolio. For example, it now owns 7 percent of Marula Platinum and 25 percent of the Dorstfontein coal mine.

Radebe has also been a big proponent of transformation in the mining business. She was the head of the South African Mining Development Association, which spoke for Black-owned mining companies and fought for rules that would make goods more accessible to everyone. She is also one of the people who started the New Africa Mining Fund, which gives money and training to junior mining firms, especially those that help people get jobs.

Radebe has also worked on efforts to improve South Africa’s mining economy following apartheid. She is a leader in African mining since her work has been recognized in her native country and all over the world.

6. Thabile Makgala

Thabile Makgala – Executive_ Mining, Impala Platinum (South Africa)

Thabile Makgala – Executive_ Mining, Impala Platinum (South Africa)

Thabile Makgala is a seasoned mining executive with over two decades of experience in the mining business. She presently serves as the Vice President for Minerals at Rio Tinto, a job she obtained following a remarkable time at Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats) .

Makgala’s journey in mining began in 2001 when she entered the industry as an 18-year-old matriculant. She became one of the first female mining engineer graduates for the Gold Fields crew operations .

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering (cum laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch Business School .

At Implats, Makgala held the position of Executive: Mining, overseeing operations on the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Her leadership was also instrumental in managing the Marula and Two Rivers Platinum Mines. In 2018 women in Mining UK in 2018 recognized her as one of the top 100 global inspirational women in mining .

In addition Makgala is a strong advocate for gender equity in the mining industry. She served as the chairperson of Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the personal growth, leadership, and career development of women in the South African mining industry. In 2021, South African Mail and Guardian honored her as the Mining Woman of the Year.

7. Lerato Molebatsi

Lerato Molebatsi – CEO, Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA).

Lerato Molebatsi – CEO, Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA).

Lerato Molebatsi is a notable South African businesswoman and the current CEO of Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA), an organization dedicated to strengthening women in the mining industry. With over 25 years of experience across the financial services, mining, government, and non-profit sectors, Molebatsi has held major leadership responsibilities, including CEO of General Electric South Africa and Executive Vice President of Lonmin plc.

Her work trajectory indicates a dedication to reform and inclusive leadership in typically male-dominated industries. Molebatsi’s career journey is distinguished by a blend of public and private sector expertise. Moreover she has served as a Special Adviser to South Africa’s Minister of Transport and as Deputy Director-General at the Department of Labour.

Molebatsi has held high-level positions at Old Mutual and Sanlam, where she worked on corporate communications, public relations, and corporate social investment. She has greater experience leading in the mining and industrial sectors because she worked for Lonmin plc and General Electric South Africa.

Molebatsi went to the University of Johannesburg and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She has taken extra classes, such as the Diploma in Rural Development at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Senior Management Development Program at the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Finally, Molebatsi works for WiMSA to get more women interested in mining and provide them more possibilities to be leaders. She leads by offering women in mining the tools they need to thrive, lobbying for policies, and being a mentor.

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