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Salutation

Former President, Mr Nelson Mandela, once stated that "freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms oppression, and that the objectives of the RDP will not be realised unless we see in visible and practical terms that the condition of the women of our country has radically changed for the better, and that they have been empowered to intervene in all aspects of life as equals with any other member of society."

* The Launch of SAWIMA in December 1999 has been informed by this thinking
* The Empowerment of South African women is indeed a necessary condition for the development of the country
* For ages, the mining sector has been a male domain - it is time we change this
* The establishment of SAWIMA an acknowledgement of the fact that women miners are an important part of the industry

I'm happy to see that we are not alone in this attempt to ensure that women are really empowered:

* Proactive mines like ERPM and Harmony have already initiated moves to ensure that women play their rightful role in mining
* ERPM has fast-tracked the employment of women early
* To date close to forty female miners work at ERPM
* Harmony, on the other hand, employs twenty women as loco drivers
* Through Gauteng SAWIMA, the number is expected to be increased to include miners, drillers, and blasters.
* Hands-on-training and structured training will help to skill these women for life
* Some of them have good matric passes and can advance to tertiary level and become managers, technicians and professionals

I understand that Petmin and Iscor will follow these examples - I wish to encourage and congratulate them.

The Mineral Development Bill

Historically, black people in general and women of all races were prohibited by law from participating in the mining industry as entrepreneurs. In addition, laws were passed which made it virtually impossible for Blacks to gain access to natural resources.

This is one of the reasons we came up with the Minerals Development Bill. The Bill introduces several changes:

* It recognises that mineral resources are part of the national patrimony and therefore the common heritage of all South Africans;
* It promotes black and women economic empowerment as well as junior and small enterprises;
* It provides security of tenure for prospecting and mining operations;
* It promotes equitable access to mineral resources;
* It promotes development of rural communities and social upliftment of areas affected by mining;
* It ensures environmental protection, within the context of the Constitution;
* It promotes beneficiation and value adding; and
* It institutionalises the social plan and introduces an early warning system in the event of retrenchment.

Now, what does this mean for women who are in mining and those who wish to enter the terrain?

* You need to be in a state of readiness - women should not only be employed, they should be employers
* My department will remain helpful to women miners seeking access to ore bodies
* Women should not undermine the power of joint ventures
* Through joint ventures your opportunities are enhanced as you have a technically and financially sound partner
* There is a number of such good examples in the likes of Umnotho Wesizwe
* The Bill generally spells out exciting opportunities for women in mining
* Women should stand up to form mining consortiums and strive for bigger contracts.

I am in full agreement with your objectives as spelt out in your constitution, namely:

* To lobby for the support and recognition of women in mining, provincially and nationally.
* To identify training, administrative and technical needs of women in mining and in collaboration with relevant and interested organisations conduct training programmes to meet these needs.
* To facilitate, where possible, the marketing of members' mining products nationally and internationally.

The difficult part as you will agree, is the implementation of these noble objectives.

We dare not fail

Thank you

Issued by the Ministry of Minerals and Energy