Lungile Ntimba
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Deputy Minister Judith Nemadzina has welcomed the progress made by women in the mining sector but called for more to be done in improving their occupational health and safety in their working environment.
Nemadzina addressed the Women in Mining (WIM) Indaba held in Benoni on Thursday, under the theme “Celebrating 30 Years of Democracy Towards Women’s Development”.
“We do this, not only in honour of the 20 000 heroines of our struggle who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, but in respect of all women who continue to act as agents of change and social transformation..
“The South African mining industry has made tremendous strides in ensuring that women become active participants in the industry,” Nemadzina said.
Nemadzina said the exclusion of women and inequality in the mining sector remain a global problem and that it is regrettable and appalling that women continue to be excluded in the mainstream economy because of the stigma associated with pregnancy.
She cited studies conducted by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), which exposed the reality that some mining companies lag behind on gender transformation which impacts negatively on the sector’s transformation agenda.
Speaking of fair treatment in the workplace, Nemadzina suggested the implementation of measures to ensure fair and ethical treatment of pregnant and lactating women.
“We plead with the mining industry to ensure that pregnant and lactating women get deployed in alternative roles that are less exposed to high risk environments rather than unfairly dismissing them from work as was done historically” Nemadzina said.
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