Wonder women - Kalagadi Manganese

One South African mining company is taking exception to the rule that men should lead by example, by employing women to run its successful operation.
Kalahari Resources, a majority black-owned company in which women occupy the top positions, was founded in 2001 as the result of new mining legislation that gave historically disadvantaged individuals the opportunity to participate in the mainstream economy.

The company’s equity is held by nine companies, which brings together a range of women groups, entrepreneurs and beneficiaries.

“It’s not about how much money we can make out of this project,” says executive chairperson Daphne Mashile-Nkosi. “It is about leaving a lasting legacy for good and for positive transformation.

“It is about forging new paths so that other women, in turn, can take our place and also make their mark on their mining industry in this country.”

The company was established with the intention of gaining access to manganese resources in the Kalahari Manganese Basin, which was achieved back in 2005 when the company was granted a license to prospect for manganese on the farms of Gama, Olivepan and Umtu.

Searching for manganese

Through its unique approach to business, the company is attempting to introduce a new age in mining and Mashile-Nkosi has introduced an uncomplicated strategy of mining manganese and processing it locally.

The three farms on which the company holds new order mining rights are believed to be home to 960 million tons of manganese ore, and an exploration programme has identified an extra 102 million tons of mineral resources.

ArcelorMittal has acquired a 50 per cent interest in the Kalahari project for US$432.5 million.

In 2009 the company signed a deal with the global steel giant that created an operating company to execute a R4.3 billion project, which consists of an underground mine to produce three million tonnes per annum of mine ore, an ore preparation facility and sinter plant, and a smelter in the Industrial Development Zone at Coega.

The Industrial Development Corporation came on-board by acquired 20 per cent of the company for R60 million following the completion of the manganese exploration work.

The leading lady

The company’s chairperson, Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, has a background different to the average mining executive, having been born as the youngest of four children to an impoverished family.

Today she presides over a multi-million dollar joint venture deal with ArcelorMittal.

Mashile-Nkosi is also the chairperson of WDP Investment Holdings, the deputy chairperson of the WDB Trust, and a founding member, shareholder and director of Temeso Technologies.

This dynamic businesswoman also serves on the boards of Eyesizwe Coal, Nuworld Logistics and Thari Mining, is a shareholder in Cellsaf and chairs the Mpumalanga Gaming Board.

Her inability to take no for an answer and her passionate belief in women’s rights, has helped her get to where she is today, in a society traditionally dominated by men.

Mashile-Nkosi has also worked as a community facilitator and loans officer for the Women’s Development Bank and she was detained by the former Apartheid Government for her role as an activist.

In a speech delivered to delegates at last year’s Ingxoxo: Women in Mining conference in Johannesburg, Mashile-Nkosi said: “It is not too long ago that it would have been totally inconceivable for a black woman to play a significant role in the mining industry. These days, this industry is still primarily a male preserve.

“Women still have a long journey ahead of them before they can be said to have reached true equality, women are slowly beginning to play more than a meaningful role in our country’s mining industry.”

“There are no guarantees that the future will be any easier than the past,” she says. “But we’ve learned many lessons over the past few years and we’re consequently well positioned to face any challenge or eventuality.

“No matter how dark the night, the day is yet to come. If you come across difficulty in your journey, take comfort in that those too will pass,” she notes.
With such a dynamic woman in charge, it’s perhaps no surprise that Kalahari Resources finds itself in the position it is today.  

www.kalahariresources.co.za

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