In the stope
Mpumi Zikalala:
on a diamond trail
From being the first female general manager of a major diamond mine, to
deputy CEO of De Beers, Mpumi Zikalala is paving the way for women in
mining, writes Leon Louw.
Mpumi, please tell me about
your new role and responsibilities
at De Beers.
In my new role as deputy CEO of De
Beers Consolidated Mines (DBCM), I
will be responsible for strategic projects
that are critical for the future success
of De Beers across South Africa. I will
also be providing strategic leadership in
delivering on DBCM’s People Strategy.
Where did your journey start at
De Beers?
I joined De Beers in 1996 as a bursar. My
first assignment was at Cullinan Mine,
where I learnt all the aspects of diamond
mining, including recovery and sorting.
Since then, I have occupied several senior
roles in the organisation, in both upstream
and midstream. In 2007, I was appointed
as general manager of Kimberley Mines,
becoming the first female general manager
of a major diamond mine. I held the
same position at Voorspoed Mine from
2010, before being appointed senior
vice-president of De Beers Sightholder
Sales South Africa (DBSSSA) in 2013. I
am also a member of the DBCM board.
What is the importance of
sustainability to the De Beers
Group, and what does the company
do to ensure the conservation of
ecosystems and biomes?
Biodiversity and conservation are important
focus areas for De Beers. Following our
signing of the Convention on Biological
Diversity’s Business and Biodiversity
Pledge in December 2016, we are the only
mining company to have committed itself
in this way to taking positive action in
support of biodiversity. Our commitment
is also exemplified by the Diamond
Route — our biodiversity and conservation
programme. The land we manage for
[34] MINING MIRROR FEBRUARY 2018
conservation through the Diamond Route
and further conservation land covers
164 000 hectares — five times the area of
land disturbed by our mining activities.
Inevitably, an area of such size is home to
several indigenous and endangered species,
for whose welfare we take responsibility.
Supporting partners in shared
biodiversity and conservation efforts is
another key focus for De Beers. We host
and attend a number of forums to share
learnings with stakeholders across the
biodiversity community. These include the
Oppenheimer De Beers Group Research
Conference, Debswana rhino conservation
projects, Biodiversity Mitigation Hierarchy
Workshops, and the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature Conference.
We also have the De Beers Group
Safety and Sustainable Development
Committee chaired by the Group CEO,
Bruce Cleaver, and all the different
departments of the business are expected
to deliver on sustainability. Our stance is
that if it does not align with safety and
sustainable development, we do not do it.
What do you regard as your
special highlights during your
time at DBSSSA?
People are the core of our business at De
Beers; therefore, the first highlight has to be
the privilege of working with the wonderful
team at DBSSSA. Together with the team,
we redesigned our organisational drive for
more agility, flexibility, and productivity. We
also launched the enterprise development
project for HDSA beneficiators, a holistic
programme working with various partners
aimed at assisting with the transformation
of our cutting and polishing industry.
What would your advice be for a
young woman thinking of entering
the mining industry? What
challenges and opportunities await
her, and how difficult is it to make
an impact on what was traditionally
regarded as a man’s world?
There have been positive developments in
the country that have helped to integrate
women into the industry; however, females
are still under-represented in company
boards of any industry group, worldwide.
There is more intake today of young
women in universities in the mining
engineering sciences; yet, it remains difficult
for mining to retain its female technical
and production employees once they enter
the job market. They are in high demand
and they are not only headhunted by other
mining companies, but also by companies in
completely different sectors of the economy.
I am proud to be part of the Anglo
American Group, a company that is leading
the rest of the world in terms of employing
women in the mining and minerals sectors,
and certainly, over the past few years, there
has been a rise in the number of women
qualifying and working in technical roles.
Our mines are also making changes in
how they operate and cater for women.
Women are receiving a lot of support
from management to become part of
the mining environment. Different
programmes are being implemented
to develop skills of women and ensure
their progression within the mining
companies. At De Beers, we are also
making a concerted effort to drive for
diversity and inclusion, as indicated
by the De Beers partnership with UN
Women, where Bruce Cleaver committed
on being a HeForShe champion.
Women must not feel intimidated to
join the industry and I should hope many
of us have already paved the way. I do need
to emphasise that everyone, regardless of
whether you are male or female, need to
work very hard. Know your craft and learn