The Intsika minerals beneficiation project recently celebrated the graduation of 21 learners, at Rand Refinery, in Germiston, east of Johannesburg.

Speaking at the event, Intsika founder Stanley Mkize said that he created Intisika five years ago so that it could be a source of strength and a way out of poverty for many households on the East Rand, while promoting independence among young people.

Established in 2004, Intsika identified 21 young, previously disadvantaged individuals and taught them the art of creat-
ing jewellery from precious metals.

Mkize said that he started the programme after seeing the devastating effects of unemployment, crime, social ills and a lack of skills in Ekurhuleni.

He added that he wanted to create a platform where community leaders, the private sector and government could get together and work on the significant challenges facing the youth today.

“The disadvantaged youth find it incredibly difficult to infiltrate the minerals industry, and statistics show that only around 15% qualified employees in the industry are black.

“With this project, we would like to be a beam of support to our youth, and make training and skills development for the beneficiation of minerals accessible to our youth,” Mkize commented.

Also speaking at the event, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said that beneficiation of the country’s commodities was a top priority for government.

“The country should stop turning a blind eye to the value of our commodities. 
“The beneficiation of minerals will unlock the wealth of South Africa’s commodities.

“We should stop sending our commodities to places like India and China, and then importing jewellery that was made from this country’s minerals.

“However, what is key to beneficiation is the development and training of people – we need the appropriate skills to extract maximum value,” commented Shabangu.

Further, the Minister noted that government was grateful to private companies that help fund projects such as 
the Intsika project. 
“Projects such as this assist the country in uplifting its youth and create a sustainable future for our country.”

“By providing South Africa’s youth with the necessary skills, we are fighting crime and poverty one step at a time. Government welcomes this project, and others like it and we are committed to support and follow such initiatives,” said Shabangu.

The Intsika project is hosted by Rand Refinery, who also contributed to upgrading and acquiring the necessary equipment for the project.

The project operates in two phases. 
The first phase entails train-ing candidates for a level 3 qualification in jewellery manufacturing. 
The qualification is accredited by the Mining Qualifications Authority, and learners are certified after a training period of 16 months.

The second phase of the project focuses on production. It is in this phase that qualified beneficiaries produce fine, high-quality products which will then be sold to the market.

Intsika also assists bene-ficiaries in starting their own business hubs by providing them with a fully equipped jewellery manufacturing workshop where they are able to produce their own product.

The project started with 21 learners, and has now expanded capacity to training 100 up-and-coming jewellers, owing to the demand from surrounding communities such as Vosloorus, Graceland, Spruit, Kathlehong, Thembisa and Daveyton.

Two graduating students attending the event noted that the programme had changed their lives and that they had both found employment at jewellery manufacturer Jack Friedman Jewellers.

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