Basotho women have made some significant inroads in the male-dominated mining industry over the years. But as Lesotho Women in Mining Association (LEWIMA) founder and chairperson, ‘Mamphuto Puleng Jessie, says in an interview with theReporter’s ‘Mantšali Phakoana, the journey is no mean task and not for the fainted hearted or those who expect immediate huge financial rewards. The determined Jessie says despite the myriad challenges, women will succeed if they work together in this tough sector.
May you kindly introduce yourself.
I am ‘Mamphuto Puleng Jessie, the founder and chairperson of the Lesotho Women in Mining Association (LEWIMA).I am also the treasurer of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Women in Mining Association and a member of the Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA). Being a businesswoman has given me a chance to be a member of the Federation of the Lesotho Women Entrepreneurs, since 2021. I am also own transport and cleaning businesses namely; Jess Fleet Services Pty Ltd, currently trading as AVIS Budget Rent a Car Lesotho and Pudonols Services Pty Ltd, trading as Exclusive Cleaners and Nola World. I obtained my degree in Public Relations from Tshwane University of Technology. I then worked for the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) as information officer. I have now expanded my wings into the mining industry. However, I do not have mining qualifications, I am self-taught in this sector.
Please tell us about the Lesotho Women in Mining Association (LEWIMA). How did it come about and who are the pioneers behind the association?
LEWIMA is a non-governmental organisation registered with the Law Office in February this year. The association aims to inspire, connect and support women to create a diverse and inclusive extractive mining industry.
We also aim at promoting and emphasising women’s training and development on skills needed by the mining industry. The organisation also seeks to influence capacity-building to implement gender-specific initiatives in the mining sector, identify opportunities for women’s participation in the mining sector and achieve the transfer of skills and technology and advocate for and support women’s interests in exploration and extraction of mineral wealth and other natural resources.
Actually, I got into mining by default, I never thought of joining the industry, but one day, in 2013 I was passing near the Mining Commission premises in Maseru, with my sister ‘Makeketso Mofolo and my twin friends, Ntholelo and Nthofela Mokhethi. I started the journey with them, hustling for small jobs as usual and when we were passing there, I asked them about what was the building for and when they told me, I insisted we should go and inquire about how to acquire a mining licence.
Upon our arrival at the offices, we asked the people who were assisting us about requirements needed for one to acquire a mining licence. They could not believe us because we looked young at 36 years. They laughed at us but eventually responded to our queries.
They took us through the processes and gave us guidelines on how to apply, further asking us to chose from their list the mine we wanted to apply the licence for. We selected Soloane Mine based between Botha-Bothe and Mokhotlong. We had no information about Soloane but we followed all the procedures including meeting with the Soloane chief, hosting public gathering to consult the community there, until we acquired a prospecting licence. This licence is acquired when the application process is completed. Also, one has to have funding but because we did not have funds, we got an investor from South Africa. We were then able to acquire the prospecting licence, but unfortunately the investor left us before we had even started.
We had to hustle to find another investor. One day, a friend of mine, who had attended a mining indaba in Uganda in 2018, returned back telling me that she had registered my name for a women in mining conference which was to be held the following year.
The association then invited me for the AWIMA summit in Accra, Ghana in 2019 and Lesotho then became a member of AWIMA. In 2021, I was appointed vice-secretary for the Southern African region, of which I became treasurer from 2022 when it rebranded to become SADC Women in Mining.
AWIMA gave birth to five regions being the Central, East, West, North and Southern Africa, which Lesotho is part of. Then came the year 2020 and the world was hit by COVID-19. The association’s activities were hindered by the pandemic, just a year when we had joined AWIMA.
In 2021, everything was resuscitated. I became the vice-secretary for the Southern African Women in Mining, as it was called then, now rebranded to SADC Women in Mining Association as of 2022. I also became the SADC Women in Mining Treasurer.
The expectation is that women in their respective countries establish own chapters; that is where the Lesotho Women in Mining Association (LEWIMA) came about.
The association is expected to be officially launched in October this year. Please tell us more about what to expect during the launch.
The official launch of the LEWIMA will be on October 20 this year. We are preparing to open membership soon before the launch, other women with mining interests would then be free to join. The launch of the LEWIMA will be featured during the inauguration of the Mining Indaba Khotla, organised by the ministry of mining. We are expecting key speakers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), entertainment, as well as networking sessions with other experts in the mining sector.
What role would you expect the mining industry to play in Lesotho’s development and economy?
There is a lot that still needs to be done in the sector but particularly a change for legal frameworks. There is a need for a balance in our policies; they need to be responsive to the government, experts, stakeholders and everyone else. They need to be reviewed with the buy-in of all stakeholders, not only the policy makers.
What challenges have you experienced by virtue of working in an industry that is predominantly male? Do you feel you have had to adapt to ‘fit’ the industry?
I always believe in what I do, and in this case also I still believe that women are as capable as men. To be honest, every industry may become a challenge by itself, but it also depends on a set company or organisation. The environment differs depending on certain issues and companies, and maybe based on the culture of different organisation in the mining industry. Some can adopt easily to women coming to the space while others cannot. For instance, in a certain mine, you would find that the resistance of male figures accepting women is lower than the other mine.
Another challenge is that it is not easy to get these things done, but they are doable. It is important that women join the team to bring change. With their capability, they should not just join for the sake of joining or with hope that there is money to gain.
Some women get discourage when I tell them that LEWIMA is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), that there are times when they will have to go to the mining communities and address their challenges.
Women in the mining sector are also faced with a challenge of lack of knowledge for licence requirements and mining operations.
Do you believe women in mining groups can help to change the image of the industry and make the sector more attractive to women in the country?
Yes definitely, women are stronger when they are united. For me, I believe women should not just be handed things for free; they must be given a chance to compete fairly with men. There’s nothing for free in life. Women can compete fairly with men. Businesswomen should compete fairly with businessmen when it comes to jobs, tenders as well as access to funding. We want Basotho women at the forefront of a mining and extractive sector that is equitable, sustainable and profitable. The only thing that would become challenging for women is strength, otherwise they too are capable of doing what men can do.
What are the greatest challenges you believe are faced by women in the mining sector currently? How is LEWIMA planning to address such challenges?
The root challenges for mining communities, not only women, are basically poverty, illnesses especially tuberculosis and HIV and Aids, and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
LEWIMA aspires to create a network and to attract, retain and grow the number of women within the mining industry and mining communities It also seeks to facilitate initiatives that promote gender equity and foster the professional development of women in the global mining industry. We will be working closely with grassroots women.
