Platinum group metals miner Implats has superseded its diversity targets ahead of its 2026 financial year end deadline, surpassing its goal of achieving 29% women representation in management, with a current board representation of 54% women.

In an historically male-dominated industry such as mining, Implats’ people group executive Lee-Ann Samuel says reaching diversity milestones ahead of schedule and having a majority-women board sets a progressive standard.

Implats conducts regular workforce gap analyses and has established several measurable diversity targets, including a minimum of 15% women representation across group-wide workforces, as well as its continued compliance with legislated race and gender representation requirements in South Africa.

“Across the longer term, the group has a target of 30% women in management by 2028 and 18% women representation across operations by 2030.”

She adds that its gender equity progress is measured through formal environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, as well as employment equity measures, with women representation in management incorporated into executive long-term incentive measures, carrying a 6% weighting in executive reward structures.

The launch of Implats’ targeted Women Empowerment Workshop aims to enhance participation of women in operational and underground roles in the South African mining sector.

It also aims to strengthen participants’ confidence, resilience, wellbeing and personal leadership capabilities by providing them with practical tools to manage stress, challenge limiting beliefs, build supportive professional networks, improve overall wellbeing and develop a clear personal vision for their future.

“Through interactive and reflective sessions, women were encouraged to reconnect with their strengths, enhance self-belief and take ownership of their career aspirations within the mining industry,” says Samuel.

The workshop is a continuation of Implats’ 2025 practical initiatives aimed at improving the experience, retention and advancement of women in operational environments.

These initiatives include the expansion of dedicated rooms for new mothers at Implats’ biggest operation – Impala Rustenburg – the provision of mobile underground toilets designed specifically for women and the continued work of women in mining forums focused on improving working conditions, and health and hygiene standards for women employees.

Above and Beyond

Implats’ women empowerment programmes are in addition to the group’s already well established long-term talent development initiatives that include community bursaries for tertiary studies, graduate programmes, engineering learnerships, experiential training, cadet programmes, artisan development and school support initiatives.

“We view these programmes as strategic investments in the future talent pipeline rather than standalone social initiatives,” says Samuel.

The group’s skills development expenditure in the 2025 financial year totalled R865-million in South Africa, supporting more than 680 community bursaries, learnerships and trainees, funding 64 graduate interns and supporting 75 near-mine schools.

At Impala Rustenburg, Implats employed 36 women graduates, 134 women bursars and 74 female experiential trainees, with 128 female learners in training and 39 female cadets.

Samuel says women at Implats most commonly face barriers associated with historically male-dominated mining environments, including infrastructure and facilities not originally designed for women, health and hygiene challenges, exclusionary workplace cultures, unconscious bias and limited representation in technical and operational leadership roles.

However, the most prolific barrier is harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) risks. She says Implats has introduced additional initiatives, including GBV awareness programmes, men-led GBV webinars, community GBV support initiatives and Women in Mining forums focused on dignity, safety and wellbeing.



“At Implats, we view female inclusion as a safety, leadership, sustainability and future-skills issue,” concludes Samuel.