Industry organisation Minerals Council South Africa has recommitted to zero tolerance of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), sexism, racism and bullying in the mining industry, after noting the release of a report by diversified global miner Rio Tinto exposing these problems across its operations.

The ‘Report into Workplace Culture’ at Rio Tinto gave the Minerals Council and its members reason to reflect and recommit to their efforts to address GBVF, sexism, racism and bullying at South African mining operations, the organisation says.

It notes it as an opportunity to contemplate the efficacy of the studies, guidelines, policies and interventions undertaken by the industry to resolve these problems.

“South African mining operations reflect the communities from which they draw their employees. The country has worrying levels of societal problems, including GBVF, sexism, racism and violence, with the world’s fourth-highest femicide rate. A fifth of women are assaulted by their partners, while half of reported assaults of women are perpetrated by close friends, family or spouses,” the council notes.

“There is no silver bullet to address the challenges faced by women in the mining industry, but we believe that, with continued targeted, highly focused work on the objectives set by the Minerals Council, and with the continued support of our member companies and their respective leaders, and our social partners, we will make a difference,” says Minerals Council president and Women in Mining Leadership Forum chair Nolitha Fakude.

The council says it, and its members, continue to acknowledge and address these entrenched, ingrained societal issues that manifest in their mines to make them safe, non-threatening places of work.

Women have been legally allowed to work underground in South Africa since 1996. As of September 2021, 64 500, or 14%, of the industry’s 455 200 employees are women.

The council and its members have set stretch targets to at least double the percentage of women in mining by 2025 and, ultimately, to work towards 30% to 40% women representation across the industry and 50% in management over the next decade.

This makes zero tolerance of GBVF and sexism imperative, the council emphasises.

An independent data-driven research project into GBVF at South Africa’s mines on behalf of the Minerals Council was conducted in 2021 across all race groups, sexes and ages of working adults.

The outcomes will form the base from which to implement effective interventions to decrease GBVF at mining operations.

The survey captured data from 2 054  respondents (58% women and 42% men) working in all major commodities, and it included 15 mining companies in seven provinces.

The survey found that, while the majority of those surveyed in the mining industry responded in a way that GBVF was not a concern for each of the assertions being tested, there was a consistent 30% who had concerns that it was.

The survey also found that there was mistrust of the reporting mechanisms.

The council resolved to conduct further qualitative research to unpack and understand the drivers of GBVF to address the concerns raised by the 30% of respondents, which included both women and men.

An assessment to be conducted early this year of mining infrastructure like change houses, underground ablution facilities, lighting and conveyances, will generate recommendations on how to make these safer for women.

Awareness campaigns and initiatives will be run to create trust and higher use of mining companies’ GBVF reporting mechanisms after the survey found a third of women are too afraid to speak up about GBVF or to report incidents for fear of being judged.