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Johannesburg - Transformation was identified as one of the leading challenges in the mining industry during the first day of a lekgotla held in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
During a discussion on women in mining, Virginia Tyobeka, head of human resources at Kumba Iron Ore, said there were no blanket solutions.
"One size does not fit all," she told the lekgotla.
"Sometimes we don't focus on the right things or involve the right people... in terms of mindset we have a long way to go."
Tyobeka said she was passionate about educating young girls about the opportunities in mining.
"Back then we missed the opportunity to influence young girls and I believe we still doing that today. A 10-year-old girl knows she can become a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, why not a mining engineer?"
It was agreed that the mining industry needed transformation, better collective bargaining and better living conditions for workers.
The lekgotla was attended by representatives of government, the Chamber of Mines, mining companies and unions.
Earlier, the National Union of Mineworkers, Solidarity and Uasa participated in a panel discussion with Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union was invited but did not attend the lekgotla.
The unions spoke about collective bargaining being more orderly and the role of minority unions. Parties involved in the industry only seemed to find each other when there was a crisis.
Chamber of Mines state intervention in the minerals sector committee chair Andile Sangqu said the industry needed to acknowledge it had a crisis on its hands.
"The tensions in mining right now means the stakes are high and the need for resolution is urgent.
"This quite frankly is very serious," he said.
Sangqu questioned why the industry only spoke more meaningfully when there was a crisis.
The industry had structures designed to support it in mining transformation, he said.
The industry needed to look at productivity, because there could not be transformation without economic growth.
Sangqu said labour needed to understand how productivity played a role in job creation.
The country recently came out of a crippling five-month strike on the platinum belt in the North West.
