Sustainable Development Report2010

Health and safety

The Mwadui Hospital at Williamson

The Williamson mine is based in Mwadui, a rural town southeast of Mwanza in the Shinyanga province of northern Tanzania. The Mwadui Hospital was established by the Williamson mine in the 1950s to provide comprehensive medical services free of charge to Williamson employees and their families. In addition, the hospital also services members of the surrounding community at a nominal cost.

Employment and human rights

Promoting women in mining at Kimberley Underground

As a child, Stephinah Sithole was told about life underground by her father, a miner at the Frank Smith diamond mine in the Northern Cape. This unseen world fascinated her and when, in 2005, Stephinah heard that Petra Diamonds was advertising mining positions for women, she did not hesitate to fill in an application, the success of which overjoyed her.

Kimberley Underground’s Leadership Development Programme

When asked where home is, Jacqualine Dicks, a loco operator at Petra Diamond’s Kimberley Underground mine, simply smiles, shrugs, and says, “the mine”. Mining is in the blood for Jacqualine, whose father, grandfather and stepfather have all served the industry. While the mine is very much a home away from home, the co-ordinators of the mine’s Leadership Development Programme, she says, have become parents away from home.

Women in mining at Cullinan

Women in South Africa have historically been excluded from working in certain underground positions due to the local law and culture. The sometimes strenuous nature and working conditions of mining activities have also made it unsuitable for women. This has made it difficult to attract and retain female employees. In promoting the presence of women in mining, the Mining Charter has a set target of 10% women in staff complements.

Community

The youth make music

The Cullinan Field Band was established in 2004 as a community youth show band based on the historic presence of brass music in South African communities. The Cullinan Field Band is part of a larger national initiative, the Field Band Foundation (FBF), which comprises 19 field bands with 4,250 members from 76 townships and 214 schools around South Africa.