FAQ

All you need to join our database is to be in the mining industry or support the philosophy of women in mining. After that, complete our database form online. We ask a few questions about who you are, where you work, and your position - to get a sense of our community demographics. At most, the form takes a minute to complete. Once you have joined, you will receive a welcome email from us. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" at the bottom of emails you receive. Joining our database is free. We are always incredibly appreciative if you would like to donate to support this volunteer-run organisation. REGISTER NOW

From time to time, we look for new committee members who demonstrate the following values: A desire to volunteer their time and skills to the organisation. Commitment to volunteering at least 8 hours a month to committee work. Commitment to raising the profile of wiMSA and its objectives of mentorship, networking, learning from each other and promoting women as leaders and business owners in the mining industry. Enthusiasm and positive make-a-plan attitude. A desire to make volunteering fun. The skills we need include: Fundraising Event management Financial management Public relations Legal and governance Communication, copywriting, video editing and photography If you have these skills and can commit to a minimum of 8 hours a month to WiMSA, please email info@wimsa.org.za with your CV. Please include a cover letter outlining how you can contribute within the ambit of the skills we are looking for.

WiMSA is not a recruitment agency or an employer, so while we cannot assist with your employment, we recommend you do the following: View our Career Booklet to determine the requirements for various careers in the mining sector. Sign up as a member and attend our events so that you can build your network in the mining industry. Follow our LinkedIn page and build your connections with someone in the industry. Follow mining companies on LinkedIn that interest you, as well as consulting companies and suppliers to the industry, and keep an eye on their career pages. Research the mining careers and courses on your local university websites. Contact recruitment companies that specialise in mining industry recruitment. Read mining-related publications. Apply for study assistance (bursary or sponsorship) opportunities through company websites.

WiMSA is not a recruitment agency or an employer, so while we cannot assist with your learnership, we recommend you do the following: Join WiMSA as a member and attend our events so that you can build your network in the mining industry. You can talk about your goals with women in the industry who may be able to assist you. Follow our social media pages and build your connections with women in the mining industry. Follow mining companies on LinkedIn that interest you, as well as consulting companies and suppliers to the industry, and keep an eye on their career pages. Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile that showcases your skills and achievements. Then engage with your network about your goals and how you would be of value to a company that takes you on in a learnership.

There are several ways you can support WiMSA financially: WiMSA is a non-profit organisation. You can sponsor to finance our activities by providing general sponsorships. Your contribution will go into our company bank account and be used for activities sanctioned by WiMSA's working committee. You will be given feedback on how this money is spent. As an official sponsor of WiMSA, your logo will be shown on our Home and Support Us pages. You can finance an individual event. WiMSA will help you to arrange an event of your choice as long as it aligns with our objectives. This event will be advertised to all our members and promoted on our social media pages. You can also make a sponsor as an individual.

Contact details for individual committee members are provided under the About Us page.

WiMSA would love to partner with you if you are aligned with our vision to create an empowering network to inspire, support and develop the progression of women working in the South African mining industry. Please get in touch with one of our committee members to suggest your partnering idea. Our current partners are listed on our home and support pages.

We are not authorised to give legal advice as a public benefit organisation. The following merely serves as a guideline and should not be relied on by third parties. We recommend you start with your HR department, your union (f you are a union member) and/or your mine-based Women in Mining Committee. If you have exhausted all options within your organisation, consider approaching your closest pro-bono law clinic. They are generally situated at a university or college and are specifically mandated to deal with labour and marital matters. Should this fail or not be possible, then approach the ombudsman at the CCMA and register a dispute.

We support research relevant to women in mining and being undertaken as part of academic or formal research. We prefer to send out research questionnaires via our social media pages, so we don't bombard members with emails. However, from time to time, we are open to distributing them via email if they coincide with the timing of an email that is due to go out. Ideally, you should provide us with a brief motivation and a link to your research questionnaire. Thereafter we will encourage our members to respond to the questionnaire. In return, we welcome and encourage you to share your research results with us and our membership. We reserve our rights and are not obliged to send our research questionnaires.

Check our Events Page. We aim to have events at least once every two months. Our events are advertised on our social media pages, and information is distributed by email to our members. Please ensure you follow our social media pages and sign up as a member to stay in touch with event details.

Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA) is proud to have been part of the online mentoring programme in partnership with Briony Liber Coaching and Consulting. We've seen firsthand the incredible benefits it provides to the professional development of women in the mining industry, and we are excited as this programme further develops as an independent programme with Briony Liber Coaching and Consulting. WiMSA is delighted for this new phase of the programme, and we wholeheartedly endorse this amazing initiative. For more information, please reach out to Briony directly. ​ While we will no longer run the programme as a WiMSA mentoring initiative, we are committed to making mentoring more inclusive and accessible to women in the mining industry. In line with this commitment, we will be organising a variety of mentoring-related events throughout 2024. These events are aimed at providing valuable mentoring opportunities to a wider audience of women in mining. We will be providing further updates on these events in due course. We are excited about this new direction and remain dedicated to our mission of fostering a mining industry that embraces diversity and gender equality. Together, let's build a better and more inclusive future for women in mining.

Our online mentoring programme targets young women in the mining industry, from final-year university to about ten years of experience in the industry. If you are curious, open to feedback, and willing to contribute to the forum as both a recipient and a giver of mentorship, then we would love to have you join as many of our online mentoring sessions as you would like. Sign up to receive emails and invitations about our upcoming mentoring sessions.

WiMSA does not pay for advertising space or media features. Our approach is collaborative; we share articles on our social media pages. Our preferred method for media interviews is through questions and answers. Third-party media shared with our audience is done by special request and is not guaranteed. For press releases, please get in touch with us.

WiMSA creates an empowering network to inspire, support and develop the progression of women in the South African mining industry. We are actively contributing to mining policies impacting women in mining operations. In line with our objectives, we offer collaborative initiatives with mining houses for the development of communities and women in the industry. These initiatives include career days focusing on creating awareness around the mining industry. We also take part in or lead initiatives that focus on empowerment for women in the industry. WiMSA offers mentorship training and an opportunity to meet potential mentors within the industry through our mentoring programme and networking events.

You can share your job listing on our platforms by becoming a sponsor. All job listings must be relevant to supporting women in the mining industry. We have a large membership base and a large following on our social media platforms. WiMSA is a non-profit organisation and exists through the support of our sponsors and volunteers.