In the stope
With no background in mining, Sentsho was
trying to find her feet with her newly formed
business. She was advised to go on a site visit
as a way of learning more about the industry.
While on site, a huge pile of mine waste
caught her attention. After learning that it
was of no use to the mine, Sentsho decided
that through Yeabo Mining, she was going to
clean the mine waste. “We hired some ladies
from the local community and we literally
— with our hands — picked up those balls
and separated them from the box.” The balls
were put into heavy-duty bags and sold to
scrap metal workshops. “We made R150 000
in four days!”
From that point on, there was no turning
back. “The interest grew because you think
past the waste pile.” The thought process was
around expanding the value chain. As she
navigated her way through the industry, new
opportunities presented themselves. One of
them was the establishment of the Simba
Mgodi Fund. As the CEO, Sentsho oversees
the origination of deals and serves as the
principal deal executive. She also facilitates
the movement of investments to clients and
assists entrepreneurs to thrive.
A dream come true with many
highlights
In 2019, it will be five years since Sentsho
has been in the mining industry, and she
cannot see herself doing anything outside
of the industry. “Mining has transcended a
who were literally mining for their daily
sustenance. I was so humbled by their effort,”
she said. She admired the way small-scale
miners found a way to make a living, despite
challenging circumstances. “With no
infrastructure whatsoever, they are finding
a way to feed their families. You have to
respect someone who finds a way.” That
encounter inspired Sentsho to want to have a
positive influence on people’s lives by making
them thrive economically.
Working in mining is keeping the bubbly
businesswoman very busy. When she has
free time, she spends it with her family. The
mother of two enjoys cooking, reading, and
watching television series. She also does
some outreach work.
Challenges and opportunities for
women in mining
Historically, mining has been described
as a male-dominated industry — a view
that Sentsho refutes completely and feels
is a big misconception. She believes that
a barrier has been created because of this
view. “Everywhere I go, I say it’s not male
dominated; it’s male populated. So, we need
to change the language that we use when
we talk about our industry,” she said. By
referring to the industry as male dominated,
Sentsho feels that the line of thinking is
being indoctrinated. “Immediately, you have
now told a woman that she can never thrive,”
she added.
With no infrastructure whatsoever, they are
finding a way to feed their families. You have to
respect someone who finds a way.
dream. It’s become part of the fabric of my
DNA,” she explained.
Since getting involved in the industry,
Sentsho has had many memorable
encounters. The most recent one was
being named as the winner of the Leaders
of Tomorrow competition at the 2019
Investing in African Mining Indaba. She
explained that she entered the competition
feeling confident that she could win. She put
a lot of hard work and preparation into her
presentation for the competition. “I knew
that everything I was doing was leading me
up to my one moment in time.”
Sentsho highlighted another memorable
encounter with small-scale miners at a
chrome mine in Limpopo. “I remember
getting to that mountainside and feeling
like I could get on my knees, feel the earth,
and have a conversation with the people
www.miningmirror.co.za
Another challenge Sentsho found was that
women perceive a glass ceiling in the mining
industry. “They only ever saw themselves
making it to senior management. They
never saw themselves at board level or being
the owners of mines.” This is unfortunate,
considering the potential that women have
to add value to the industry. She pointed
out that women were the most qualified
demographic in the mining sector. “Women
hold most of the masters and PhD degrees
in mining — black women specifically.”
“Historically, we were always thought
of as the disabled gender.” She strongly
feels that things have changed radically,
presenting many opportunities for women
to be successful. “A great deal of my
fascination and admiration for the mining
industry is that it’s a place for women to
thrive.” To achieve this, Sentsho feels it is
crucial to make the industry gender neutral
by removing “emotive words” such as male
dominated. Another suggestion is that
women need to take initiative and position
themselves strategically to add the most
value to the industry.
Exciting times ahead for mining
in SA
Over the years, there has been some
pessimism regarding the mining industry,
particularly in South Africa with the view
that the industry is dying. Not only does
Sentsho see the opposite, she feels now is an
exciting time for mining in the country. “We
are at a place in mining where someone has
invented a satellite that can identify virgin
rock temperature at the bottom of the earth
and tell you what’s down there and how
much of it is down there.”
She also sees many opportunities,
especially with regard to energy storage
minerals. Another exciting factor is that the
future and the success of the mining industry
is not restricted to the extraction of minerals
alone. “We’re finding new uses for minerals
we thought had reached the end of their life.
This is exciting stuff ! We are going to hit our
super cycle again soon.”
According to Sentsho, South Africa needs
to pay more attention to beneficiation as a
way of creating jobs in the industry. “Many
companies would love to beneficiate, but
you can’t beneficiate when you have 5 000
salaries to pay just for extraction. Extraction
cannot be a job creator.” She believes that
the industry has evolved, with technology
making it possible for mechanised and
digital mining. In her view, the magic of
mining is in beneficiation. She mentioned
fuel cell technology as an example of the
many opportunities that will come as a result
of beneficiation.
Where to from here?
Despite Sentsho’s success in the industry
so far, she still finds that because she is a
black woman, her credibility is sometimes
questioned. “I am still trying to prove
myself,” she said. She is not fazed by hurdles
such as these, as she has big plans for the
future. One of them, which she is currently
working on, is establishing and leading a
portfolio for women in extractives at the
United Nations. She is also pursuing her
MSc degree in mining engineering.
As the interview came to an end, Sentsho
emphasised that the industry needs more
women. “I believe that at this stage, we
should be filling the numbers on every board.
We should be at the top of every mining
company because I believe that women add
value.” She believes that the mining industry
is not a place for fear, but tenacity. Sentsho’s
advice to other women considering mining
as a career: “Fear nothing and aim extremely
high.”
APRIL 2019 MINING MIRROR [29]