Page 49 - 25 Reasons

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PORTIA FRANCETTE
MALELE JACOBS
KUMBA IRON BUSINESS
ORE’S DRILL IMPROVEMENT
AND BLAST MANAGER AT
MANAGER ANGLO
AMERICAN’S
DE BEERS
GROUP

hile her peers were attracted to mainstream careers such as lthough there are many opportunities in the mining industry –
accounting, teaching and medicine, Sishen mine’s drill and not all positions require a deep dive underground or physically
Wblast manager, Portia Malele, knew she was destined to break Ademanding work – many women don’t choose careers in
boundaries in whichever field she chose. Sishen is part of Anglo mining, or even think it’s an option.
American’s iron ore business, Kumba Iron Ore. Francette Jacobs, the business improvement manager at De Beers
Malele decided to study mining engineering at the University of Group Venetia mine, is one of those women who was determined to
Johannesburg and now works at one of the largest open-pit mining find her place in an environment that is perceived to be dominated by
operations on the continent. men. She learnt and explored the business at the company until she
Malele successfully completed the BHP Billiton Graduate programme found her niche, and she believes only a position in mining could have
in 2007, attained a mine managers’ certificate of competency in 2009, led to her satisfaction with her career and her life in general.
and is now studying for a postgraduate diploma in business “I’ve had quite an interesting run in the company,” she says.
management and administration. Back in the 1990s, Jacobs was a De Beers bursary recipient and went
The 32-year-old has spent the past six years as a manager at Sasol’s on to study chemical engineering at the University of Stellenbosch.
Twistdraai coal mine in Mpumalanga, where she played a key role in From there, she started her career as a mineral processing engineer at
extending the life of the east shaft by 18 months, and won the Sasol Venetia mine in Limpopo, and even tried her hand as a security
Mining Super League award for the best shaft at Thubelisha south shaft manager at the same mine.
in August 2017 and November last year. “I would like to believe that we would be able to build an industry
“I grew up in a family that was very supportive of expressing that is both safe and profitable. Mining has a very negative
yourself and doing what you wanted to do, so I was quite lucky. In connotation attached to it when it comes to safety and profitability. So,
fact, they were quite supportive of me doing things that were not because it’s such a key component of the economy, we have to start
traditionally done by girls. They encouraged us and taught us that you leveraging some of the new innovations that are available to us,
can do anything that you want to do in life; to never confine yourself,” especially the technology. The right use of technology can improve our
Malele says. safety and our profitability.”
She works hard to produce the best line of productivity and meet her She says that the automation that’s being implemented underground
targets, and she has an obsession for safety. Malele boasts that she has notably changed the landscape of mining.
recorded more than 11 injury-free months at Thubelisha south shaft “Venetia mine is going underground, so looking at automation and
before moving to Sishen. automated mining activities is one of the key things that we’re focusing
“You have to be highly skilled to manage the equipment, as well as on because of its impact on safety. That means we’re able to remotely
the safety of people and the community at large. At Anglo American control equipment and don’t have to have people in dangerous areas.”
and Kumba Iron Ore, safety is the absolute priority in everything we do. Automation has been necessary to keep the industry viable in the
It’s important that I ensure we entrench and maintain safety at all times. face of escalating costs and falling commodity prices, as well as the
That way, we can excel within our performance and meet our challenges related to ageing infrastructure and deep-level mining.
objectives,” she says. “Ultimately, we want to see that the communities are benefiting, the
A major focus for her in her new role at Kumba Iron Ore will be to employees are benefiting and that our stakeholders are benefiting.
drive the Tswelopele initiative, which means building on the company’s Mostly, I would also like to see a mining future where we can provide
transformation journey to ensure it reaches its full potential. And, while more equal opportunities and allow everyone the opportunity to really
she’s excited about the new opportunities and technologies that come excel at the work that they are qualified to do.”
with Tswelopele, as well as about Anglo American’s vision of reimagining For women to meaningfully participate and contribute to the
mining, she is passionately driven by and for the people of Sishen. industry, Jacobs believes there needs to be robust change – which she
“It’s exciting for me to interact with people. I motivate my team every says Anglo American and De Beers Group are implementing.
day and make them aware that we are really the heart of the operation, “Women are more empowered now to be anything that they want
especially now that we’ve got new technologies.” to be. When I was in high school, I really wanted to become a
Practising what she preaches, she is fighting hard to open the door geologist. But, at that point in my life, my mother actually said to me
for other women. that it was a man’s job. It was quite strange that I ended up in
“I want to give young people, especially women, opportunities in the engineering.
mining industry. I want to nurture and support more woman leaders “On the management side, there’s much more awareness. At De
and help to empower others wherever possible. That’s the real Beers Group, there are always more women coming up the ranks into
difference,” she says. leadership roles. I do think that the future is quite bright for women.”
ANGLO AMERICAN 25 REASONS TO BELIEVE 49