Kandjoze wants more women in mining

Published: 28/07/2016
MINISTER of mines and energy Obeth Kandjoze says unless companies applying for mining licences employ more women in management positions, they will find it hard to get permits from his office.

He said this at the inauguration of the Walvis Bay Salt Holdings’ expansion project on Monday.

“For every licence issued, there are conditions that have to be met. I signed a performance agreement to ensure that all demographics and genders are part of operations. What we see most in boardrooms are previously advantaged Afrikaner males – not even Afrikaner women. We need to rebalance the line of ownership,” he charged.

He said even today, with black empowerment, most of those empowered are black men.
“There is still male dominance, and there is still a shortage of women. This is a new song we will sing until the balance has been struck”, he stated.

Kandjoze specifically spoke about government’s willingness to work with companies on condition that the companies meet certain requirements: that 5% of the business is reserved for Namibians, and that 20% of its management is reserved for females, while 30% of the companies’ value-addition should be done in Namibia.

More requirements are that there must be more youth in leadership positions, and that the ‘poorest of the poor’ should also be included in the mainstream of the company.
In addition to Kandjoze’s admonition, Namibian vice president Nickey Iyambo, who was the keynote speaker at the function, said black empowerment did not only refer to colour.

“It is not only about colour, but to all those who have been left behind. Women are among those. Most of the industry is dominated by men, but more women must be brought onboard,” he said.

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