Specialty chemicals company Clariant – which is focused on sustainability and innovation – strongly believes in diversity and inclusion within the company.

This, the company says, can be noted in the inroads that have been made in recent years, particularly in terms of the formation of mining forums for women.

These forums have played a big part in showing the importance of women in mining, with more women occupying top positions in the industry – which was not the case in previous years.

While Clariant’s mining business unit is still growing in South Africa, it has, in the past year, managed to double the number of its women metallurgists.

This indicates that the company is not only aiming to increase women representation but is also ensuring that women who have the right skills and expertise are hired, Clariant SA regional metallurgist Linda Mahlangu tells Mining Weekly.

Mahlangu states that the metallurgical sector, specifically, does not struggle to attract women as much as it struggles to retain them.

She suggests that this is because of a culture that does not foster fairness towards everybody, where a mistake made by a woman could, for example, become exaggerated and met with disparaging comments.

Mahlangu believes that there should be more awareness surrounding workplace culture to ensure that the work environment is fair, and that women are treated as equals.

“Women working in this field should never be made to feel like they need to change who they are to fit into the industry. They need to believe that they are worthy and are making a positive contribution in mining,” she affirms.

The Path Forward

Mahlangu points out that mentorship and support, as well as development, in terms of skills training and development, are still lacking.

“With the industry still largely male-dominated, we still hear about women having been made to feel unsafe in the workplace. About two years ago, women in mining gathered in Rustenburg, in the North West, to highlight the discomfort they feel over harassment.”

Therefore, there is still a lot of awareness training that needs to be done, she emphasises.

“During my journey in this field, I have had the honour of mentoring aspiring metallurgists and it makes me proud to see some of my previous mentees occupying good positions at mines,” Mahlangu enthuses.

She encourages the women wanting to thrive in this industry to continue working hard towards their goals while maintaining their femininity.

“For instance, as a woman, it is in my nature to be nurturing and adaptable. These are some of the traits that I believe have made me thrive in this industry for more than 18 years.”

Mahlangu states that allowing for more flexibility in the working environment will enable women to not only develop in their careers as metallurgists but also continue as caregivers for their families.

This, she concludes, will bode well towards strengthening a culture of inclusion and equality within the workplace.