Q: At Minergy you say that you are bringing a lot of skills development impact as a result of having developed the first–ever opencast coal mine in Botswana. Kindly elaborate on and how it creates a valuable impact for Botswana.
A: Opencast coal mining and the associated beneficiation of the sized coal is a specialised industry. Currently there is no other similar operation in Botswana to recruit from. Certain positions require expatriate recruitment but all these positions are supported with understudy programmes.
Minergy has committed, wherever possible, to training and upskilling those at the Masama coal mine for opencast coal mining skills and beneficiation skills to remain in-country. This is a critical point as historically Botswana has vast deep underground mining expertise but very limited opencast and coal experience. It is Minergy’s hope, as part of its legacy, to promote and install fully qualified local opencast mining and coal beneficiation skills in Botswana, enabling those we train to compete across the world with the skills acquired.
Aside from employing 407 people at the mine, of which 95 percent are Batswana, this is what Minergy has specifically done in the past financial year:
- Three weighbridge operators were trained consisting of one male and two females.
- In addition, one female cleaner was upskilled and promoted to a weighbridge operator.
- 16 unskilled youths (4 female and 12 male) were employed and trained as laboratory operators and analysts. These are employees who do not have any previous skills in laboratory operations.
- Minergy provided job shadowing, practical experience and industrial training for 11 students from the Botswana College of Engineering Technology for a period of six weeks.
- Minergy has also allowed researchers from University of Botswana to undertake research on the impact of coal mining on the environment as part of their practical requirements.
The breakdown of workers at the mine is contained in the graph below. This means that through Minergy’s commitment to skills development employees are able to progress across the organisation.
Q: In terms of employment, how has Minergy created a positive impact on the community it operates in and beyond?
A: The provision of job opportunities is critical and Minergy has stepped up to provide this employment to 407 people, of which 95 percent are local. It is well known that for each job created, there is support for roughly eight individuals, meaning that Minergy touches the lives of roughly 3 200 people monthly. The majority of local staff are from the Kweneng District in Botswana.
Q: Kindly share infrastructural developments which were brought about by Minergy in those communities.
A: Medie Village benefitted from electrification of the mine, which Minergy paid for, allowing 500 people access to electricity through a self-funded prepaid system. As an extended part of Minergy’s social investment drive, the Kgotla and the clinic have also been electrified, making day-to-day running of these essential services much easier and efficient. This is ahead of the government’s intended electrification programme, which was for 2024.
The quality of the road between Lentsweletau and Medie has been significantly upgraded compared to the state the road was in before mining operations commenced. Continuous road rehabilitation and dust suppression is undertaken in and around the villages to maintain road integrity. The dilapidated community hall has been refurbished, including access to solar power, and will be handed over to the community.
Q: A development as huge as Masama Coal Mine usually results in mushrooming of several other businesses to benefit from its value chain. In the case of Masama, kindly share businesses that have been created as a result of the growing value chain.
A: This phenomenon is indeed correct and there are a number of entrepreneurial businesses that have flourished, including laundry services, bed & breakfast for suppliers visiting the mine or the area, housing built for rental accommodation, spaza shops and food stalls, the first supermarket and additional building supply outlets established as well as 12 local transporters who are used by the mine to transport product.
Q: Do you have a policy or practice that results in local gain from the Masama procurement budget? Please share it in detail and say how citizen enterprises have benefitted from the procurement supply chain.
A: Minergy is fully committed to CEE r citizen economic empowerment and has a policy in place. This is, however, undertaken within the confines of economics, the availability of specialised parts and skills, health and safety, and not to the detriment of the continuation of operations. The aim of this programme is to facilitate meaningful participation by citizens of Botswana in the project supply chain.
We have also adopted a balanced scorecard approach in selecting suitable suppliers. The most visible benefit is the appointment of 12 local transporters who assist with the evacuation of coal from the mine to our target markets. This excludes dozens of smaller enterprises that provide various services to the mine.
