A recent study has revealed that sexual harassment is pervasive and deep-rooted on South Africa’s mines.

The study was conducted by communication agency The Guild Combination (TGC) and entailed the running of workshops and discussion forums at 16 mines over a 20-month period from 2013 to 2014.

The study resulted in TGC producing an illustrated booklet, a poster and an 11-minute DVD for the Mine Health and Safety Council to distribute to mines throughout South Africa to better educate mine employees on sexual harassment on the mines.

TGC project manager Gary Newman told delegates at a recent women in mining conference, in Johannesburg, that the mining industry had taken seriously its obligations in terms of South African law to transform from being male- dominated to welcoming women.

He noted that, since the local mining industry’s establishment in 1867, it had been regarded as the “boys club”. However, Newman said that women in the past 20 years had made great strides in the sector.

Nonetheless, he stressed that, unless women could be guaranteed a safe work environment, free from all forms of harassment, true transformation could not be achieved.

“Sexual harassment is a threat and is cited by women as a major barrier to entry into the mining industry.”

He said the TGC had observed during the course of its visits to the mines that some of the mines completely embraced the sexual harassment awareness programmes that it conducted, as they believed that it would add much value to their own programmes and that this type of programme was long overdue.

Other mines were reluctant to participate in the study. They told Newman that, when he undertook preliminary site visits to head offices, they did not need a sexual harassment awareness programme because the respective mining companies had not had a case of sexual harassment reported at their mines in many years.

“The overall feeling was that mine management teams were extremely nervous and suspicious about the study,” he said.

The study found that the workers believed that, if any whistle blowing information got out, it would negatively impact on them, which Newman said indicated that there was a great deal of fear among mineworkers.

“Generally, the mines were reluctant to make any discussions public, as that could very much damage their image,” he said.

Newman stated that he had multiple visits to mining companies’ head offices, away from the actual mine site, so that company personnel could “clarify” what the research TGC was undertaking was all about. He said this often led to TGC receiving letters declining the mine’s participation in the study, as companies were of the view that their sexual harassment polices were in order.

Survey Recommendations

One of the recommendations made by workers was the creation of an external induction process.

“I think workers were deeply suspicious about mines creating their own programmes; perhaps they thought that there was not any credibility to them,” said Newman.

He said that the survey also recommended there should be sexual harassment ambassadors for each shaft or mine site, preferably someone who could speak the mineworkers’ vernacular.

Newman noted that this could form part of an external induction process, which could open up the lines of reporting. He said that the lines of reporting were quite a serious issue because workers (both men and women) were more often than not reluctant to report any incident of sexual harassment.

Further, the survey stressed that sexual harassment programmes should not stop at the mine gate, but should be continued in the community if sexual harassment was to be effectively dealt with.

“Some individuals in senior mine management positions do not take sexual harassment seriously,” Newman asserted.

The implication is that, if senior managers do not take the issue of sexual harassment seriously, then there is significantly less chance that ordinary mineworkers will take it seriously.

He said that mineworkers were deeply unhappy with existing sexual harassment policies at mines, with 54% of workers interviewed saying the policies did not meet their needs and a further 31% of respondents stating that they strongly believed that the policies did not meet their needs.

Citing an example of sexual harassment that takes place on the mine, one woman mineworker said: “When the cage is vibrating, they will be rubbing their private parts against us. This happens daily.”

Additionally, a male mineworker told a TGC researcher: “What amazes me is that [women] refuse to give me my property.” This referred to women mineworkers not performing sexual favours for their male colleagues when requested to, as many male miners view women as their property.

Newman said that redefining employer responsibility for sexual harassment needed to be reconsidered and employee sexual harassment induction and policy needed to be communicated in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner to both genders.

“A powerful education and information campaign must be developed that clarifies what sexual harassment is and sets a zero tolerance standard,” he concluded.