JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Women have made great strides in the South African mining industry over the past ten years; however, far more needs to be done to ensure parity is achieved with their male counterparts, particularly at the boardroom level.

This is according to diamond company De Beers sightholder sales South Africa senior VP Nompumelelo Zikalala and De Beers organisational effectiveness lead Varsha Morar, who were speaking at training and conference company Intelligence Transfer Centre's seventh yearly Women in Mining conference, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday.

The perception that women who reach senior leadership positions in the mining industry did so by "offering sexual favours" to male executives remains widespread, Zikalala lamented.

She added that negative views that women board members and executives were token appointments and lacked the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively run mining operations were also widely held.

"These attitudes by male executives and mineworkers have resulted in women themselves questioning whether they are good enough. This is an unacceptable and untenable position for women," Zikalala stated.

She said there was a severe lack of women mentors in the local mining industry, which was a significant challenge to developing a new generation of women leaders in the mining sector.

Morar asserted that radical cultural shifts were required at the organisational level by mining companies to ensure the inclusion of women at all levels.

She noted that many capable women were often overlooked for promotions owing to the concern that they were weak or would fall pregnant and be absent from work for long periods as a result.

Morar highlighted that the principles of cultural inclusion, dignity, respect and the promotion of cultural diversity were central to De Beers’ current transformation model.

Zikalala pointed out, however, that, despite the efforts of De Beers to transform, it remained "largely an all boys club" at the board and executive levels of the company, with women only making up between 22% and 25% of positions at these senior management levels.

"This is the case throughout the overwhelming majority of mining operations in South Africa and is a clear indication that more needs to be done to incorporate women into the mining sector," she concluded.