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This Women's Month, we celebrate the exceptional women at Richards Bay Minerals. Across our organization, women excel in diverse roles, from pioneering mining methods as engineers to upholding daily operations as truck drivers, boiler makers, and electrical specialists.
One of these remarkable women is Nonhlanhla Mbatha, a service woman working at Central Maintenance Workshop (CMW). With 17 years of service at RBM, Nonhlanhla started as a operational assistant in 2006.
“At that time, I only had matric and a learners license, but in 2008 I was given the opportunity to do my Code 14 license and also further my studies” says Nonhlanhla.
After getting her Code 14 license, Nonhlanhla became the first female heavy equipment operator. Her journey continued as she was redeployed to the electrical department in 2016. She earned her trade certificate and diploma in electrical engineering, and now works at CMW as an acting artisan, handling maintenance, inspections, fault finding, and repairs.
“At the moment I’m the only woman. For me, it’s not a problem. I can work with anyone. I manage my relationships with different people. Not because of their gender. Even as women, we are not all the same. We grew up in different places so not everyone will be like me.”
These unique experiences form part of conversations at Richards Bay Minerals Women in Mining forum, a space where the company’s women can discuss the challenges they face and how they can empower other women working in the industry.
“The thing that makes me want to do my job is that I want to open opportunities for other women. Every time I do something, it’s not just about me. It’s about other women coming after me, that see me as proof that other woman will also be recognised.”
When asked what advice Nonhlanhla had to give young women in mining she had this to say: “For those young ones my advice will be to know yourself. Know what you want. Believe in yourself. It’s time for us as women to stand up for ourselves and to grab the opportunities. And prove to ourselves that we can do things.”
We can’t agree more. Thanks to women like Nonhlanhla that can pave the way for more women in the mining industry to learn, grow and flourish. Because when one of us succeeds, we all do.
This post and content is sponsored, written and produced by Rio Tinto.
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