22 May 2023

The first cohort of 25 women employed by cleaning and gardening companies contracted to Jwaneng Mine has completed a three-month training on operating mining earth moving equipment through the Jwaneng Mine Women Skills Empowerment Initiative.

The programme is intended to empower women and enhance their competencies in the mining sector by providing technical and theoretical training on earth moving equipment such as dump trucks, bulldozers, excavators and backhoes.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony recently, Jwaneng Mine general manager, Mr Koolatotse Koolatotse, said their target was to train a total of 150 women from the cleaning and gardening contractors to create a pool of skilled and capable women.

“This is premised on the realisation that we have limited capacity to create employment but aim to play a critical role in creating a pool of capable women to supply the local mining sector,” he said.

He noted that besides capacity building, the acquired skills would also contribute towards fighting gender based violence, which was usually fueled by women depending on men for livelihood.

He said the programme was one of their strategies formulated to promote diversity, inclusion and equality for women to compete with their male counterparts for opportunities.

“Jwaneng Mine is deliberate in the design of programmes targeting youth, women and people with disabilities because diversity, gender equality and inclusion is of paramount importance to us. We have taken a deliberate decision to enshrine them in all of our procedures and programmes. We are convinced that having an inclusive and diverse environment allows for wider perspectives to be integrated in problem solving and developing new ideas,” he noted.

Mr Koolatotse applauded trainers for their commitment in ensuring effective implementation of the programme.

He commended the graduates for hard-work that saw them successfully complete the training. A representative of contractor companies, Mr Moroka Masisi of KPS Hygiene Services said the initiative was a big milestone for the graduates and also indicated Debswana’s commitment to implementing women empowerment and diversity strategies.

He said he was optimistic that the training would open bigger doors for the graduates in future.

Furthermore, he said contractor companies were willing to continue collaborating with Debswana on its various initiatives, and that they promise to uphold the safety standards set by the mine.

One graduate, Ms Amogelang Molelekedi said even though the training was not smooth sailing, it was worth it in the end.

“When we started we had a lot of fear but our trainers played a big role in encouraging us and making us see the bigger picture,” she said.

She commended Jwaneng Mine leadership for giving them the once in a lifetime opportunity that did not only empower them but would also contribute to a decline in gender based violence incidents.

“Women have many talents which can be nurtured to sustain them, thereby reducing GBV statistics,” she noted. ENDS