MQA Newsletter Second Quarter 2012

Adult literacy celebrated

mqA gives more than 67 minutes to Amazing Grace Children’s Home

An informed career choice

M I N I N G Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S A U T H O R I T Y

MQA

SECOND quArtEr 2012

inside THis issUe

02

How time flies! The second quarter of the financial

year has come and gone. We are in our third quarter

of the financial year. The exciting news is that the MQA is moving from

74-78 Marshall Street in Johannesburg to 7 Anerley Road in Parktown.

Hopefully the move will result in improved motivation levels and better

facilities for both our staff and stakeholders.

The MQA celebrated a very successful International Literacy Day event

in partnership with the National Union of Mineworkers and BHP Billiton

Energy Coal at the Tshwane University of Technology at the eMalahleni

campus. This event was supported by the Honourable Mayor of eMalahleni

Ms Salome Sithole as well as the MEC of Education in the Mpumalanga

Province the Honourable Ms Reginah Mhaule.

To support education and decision making, various career guidance events

were held for over 20 000 learners at the Department of Higher Education

and Training Mandela week held in Taung and the Department of Mineral

Resources learner focus week held in the Northern Cape. What is consist-

ent is that most learners from disadvantaged schools are not exposed to

the varied career choices available to them. Greater efforts are necessary

to encourage young learners to consider mining careers as a choice.

The learning programmes unit hosted its regional workshops in five

provinces to assist companies to understand the processes involved in

taking on learners, the support and benefits for our sector. We further

interviewed a learner Ms Matete Precious Makine on her experiences as

a learner miner (read about her on page 10).

Our goal is to keep you informed. Do enjoy reading the “fresh look”

MQA news.

Keeping you informed!

merle Clark

editor’s note

Editor: merle Clark

Email: [email protected]

Editorial team: Amanda masilo and Baitse mokiti

Copy editor: Adri Viviers

Photography: mqA communications team and Photos.com, a division of Getty Images

Mining Qualifications Authority (mqA)

Physical address: 7 Anerley road, Parktown, JHB

Tel (switchboard): 011 630 3500

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.mqa.org.za

Design and layout: Isikhova Publishing & Communications (Pty) Ltd

Website: www.isikhova.co.za Senior designer: Joanne Brook Project co-ordination: mandie van Niekerk Email: [email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of MQA.

The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the publishers or its agents. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents, neither the owners nor the publishers can be held responsible for any omissions, errors, or for any misfortune, injury or damages which may arise therefrom. The same conditions apply to any advertising in the publication.

LeTTers To THe ediTorDear Reader

Stakeholders are encouraged to submit letters to the editor for

publication in the next newsletter edition. We would like to know

your views and opinions on various projects, the organisation and

what you would like to read about. Drop us an email or mail us at:

The Editor: MQA News, Private Bag x118, Marshalltown, 2107 or email: [email protected]

ediTor’s noTe .................................. 02

adULT LiTeracy ceLebraTed .......... 03

Learning programmes

regionaL worksHops .................. 04

mqa gives more THan

67 minUTes To amazing

grace cHiLdren’s Home .............. 05

an informed career cHoice ..... 06

recogniTion of skiLLs and

compeTence aT angLo american’s

new denmark coLLiery ...................08

Learner profiLe:

maTeTe precioUs makine.............. 10

2012 acc ...........................................11

MQA NEWS • SECOND QUARTER 2012

03

Ranito Zilo, an ABET graduate and current fore-

man at Xstrata Coal SA’s speech, was the highlight of

the 2012 International Literacy Day celebrations on 8

September 2012 at the Tshwane University of Technology

eMalahleni campus. Zilo encouraged learners to persevere

in their studies and work hard. He further shared his

personal achievements stating that enrolling in an ABET

training programme was the best decision he had ever

made. He further stated that even through hardships

learners can accomplish what they set out to achieve.

This annual event was hosted by the Mining Qualifications

Authority (MQA), the National Union of Mine workers

(NUM) and BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa

(BECSA). The aim of the event was to celebrate ABET

achievements and to promote ABET learner participation

in the mining sector. More than 1 400 adult education

and training learners from various provinces attended

the event.

The occasion kicked off with a welcome address by the

Honourable Mayor of eMalahleni, Ms Salome Sithole, who

extended her gratitude to the MQA, NUM and BECSA for

hosting the event at eMalahleni, an area that is sometimes

overlooked for such important events. Representatives

from the MQA, NUM and BECSA highlighted their

contributions and the importance of the event. Ms

Lebogang Mokoena, representing the DHET, introduced

the Mpumalanga MEC for Education who, as an educator

herself, addressed the delegates by highlighting the fact

that “one is never too old to learn”. In her key note

address, the MEC of Education in Mpumalanga Ms Regina

Mhaule encouraged the delegates to take education

seriously. She said, “People must not remain stagnant

in one position but should aim to progress to higher

positions. This can only be accomplished by studying”.

Jimmy Tshwane, an ABET facilitator at BECSA, gave

learners a word of encouragement and highlighted the

importance of being literate.

The Xstrata Coal SA Sweet Melodies, Epabalele Mmotla

traditional dancers and PYG Marimba entertained guests,

while the Gang of Instrumentals group had both young

and old dancing on their feet.

The event recognised ABET learners who performed well

on their ABET levels one to four. This annual event is

celebrated in South Africa to acknowledge programmes

such as ABET and their role in improving literacy levels

across the nation.

Adult literAcy ceLebraTed

(Above): Delegates enjoying the 2012 International Literacy day celebrations.

(Above, from left): Mpumalanga MEC for Education the Honourable Reginah Mhaule; ABET graduate Ranito Zilo; Honourable Mayor of eMalahleni Salome Sithole, Gang of Instrumentals entertaining the delegates.

04


The Learning Programmes Unit participated in its

planned regional workshops with the intention of

consulting, educating and engaging directly with the

implementers of learning programmes in the MMS.

Discussions were held on the processes involved in the

implementation of these programmes. This included the

administrative processes, documentation requirements,

grant processes as well as timelines for registering of

learners and submission of documents.

The workshops were a success as delegates in atten-

dance engaged on issues. Most delegates indicated

that the presentations tabled brought a sense of

understanding of how they should implement different

learning programmes. Some were not even aware of the

grant application process and appreciated the initiative.

The Learning Programme (LP) Unit intends to continue

with these regional workshops and will communicate

dates for upcoming ones.

We are pleased to inform all our stakeholders that the

MQA will be moving its offices to a new location. The MQA

will be terminating its current building lease agreement

on 30 November 2012 and occupying the new premises

from 1 December 2012. Further information about the

relocation will be communicated to you through various

communication channels including e-mails and our

website. The new address for the new MQA offices is:

7 Anerley road, Parktown.

Discretionary Grants

The following was noted in terms of discretionary grants:

• The discretionary grants were not disbursed as they

should have been on most projects (e.g OHS, ABET, FLC,

Mining Environmental Control and the Learners with

Disabilities Project).

• Although companies have applied for these grants,

and allocations were made, the submission process and

actual implementation is very slow.

Employers and Providers

The Learning Programmes Unit would like to urge all

employers who have been allocated the discretionary

grants to commence with these by implementation and

submitting the required documentation to ensure the

disbursement of the grants. This will help achieve the

objectives of overall skills development.

NO region Date

1North-West

(Rustenburg – Orion Safari)29 May 2012

2Mpumalanga

(Witbank – Protea Hotel)31 May 2012

3Limpopo

(Steelpoort – Lapeng Guest Lodge)06 June

2012

4Gauteng

(Johannesburg – Parktonian Hotel)22 June

2012

5Northern Cape

(Kuruman – El Dorado Hotel)19 July 2012

The following regions were visited:leArning ProgrAmmes

regionaL worksHops

the mQA moves To new offices on

1 december 2012

05


The visit to Amazing Grace Children’s Home by more than

10 MQA staff members on 18 July 2012 deeply touched

the hearts of the orphaned children. The staff members

spent more than 67 minutes playing, nursing and feeding

the children.

The home looks after and provides shelter to orphans,

children from abusive backgrounds and abandoned

children from birth to 18 years. Staff donated clothes,

food, sweets and cool drinks for the children to enjoy on

the day.

Founder of the Home, Grace Mashaba, was overjoyed by

the visit and all that was donated to the children. “Words

cannot even begin to express my gratitude for what

the MQA has done for my children,” she said. Mashaba

herself suffered abuse as a child.

The Amazing Grace Children’s Home is situated in

Eikenhof, South of Johannesburg. The Home became

the second beneficiary of the MQA’s Corporate Social

Investment (CSI) programme following the Orlando

Children’s Home.

“As a responsible corporate entity, our aim with this

initiative is to care for the needy and to support these

shelters to ensure a better future for all,” said MQA Chief

Executive Officer, Sam Seepei.

Earlier in the year, the MQA donated a cheque of R20 000

to the Home to improve its computer laboratory.

MQA employees are always enthusiastic in supporting the

initiative and have contributed clothing, non-perishable

foods, toys and money. The Customer Service and

Communication Department would like to extend a word

of appreciation for the support shown by those who

are always willing to give to the needy and those who

selflessly continue to support the initiative.

mQA gives more thAn 67 minutes to amazing grace cHiLdren’s Home

(Above): Ms Grace Mashaba; the Amazing Grace Children’s home founder. (Top left, from left): Bridgette Mathebula, Erica Raphoto,

Tintswalo Nkuna (carrying the baby) and Evodia Mkhaliva.

06


An increased number of young people residing within

mining communities lack the knowledge concerning

available careers in mines and the richness of their

soil. The Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) often

participates in career expos and open days to ensure

that learners are provided with career guidance that

will ultimately assist them in making an informed career

decision. The MQA officials that provided career guidance

interacted with more than 20 000 of the learners that

attended the following three career guidance initiatives.

DHEt mandela Day Festival

In celebration of the 27 years that Nelson Mandela spent

in prison, a campaign called Mandela Day was born. This

day is celebrated on 18 July. During the week of 17-

20 July 2012 the Department of Higher Education and

Training hosted the DHET Mandela Day festival career

exhibition in Taung which saw all 21 SETAs exhibiting at

the event. The event attracted grade 8-10 learners from

more than 20 schools in the area.

The MQA saw this initiative as a platform to educate

learners on the various career paths available in the

mining and minerals sector and how these programmes

can be accessed. On 18 July, the Honourable Minister

of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande,

took the stand and gave learners and delegates a

message of encouragement by emphasising that career

guidance and advice is central to ensure that students

perform better in colleges and universities.

An informed career cHoice

(Above): Ms Amanda Masilo, MQA Communications Specialist offers career guidance

07


The Department also pledged to give 67 bursaries to top

performing learners in the Taung District Municipality

in its commitment to education and in honour of the

27 years Nelson Mandela spent in prison.

One of the Government’s mandate to the MQA is

to increase career guidance in rural areas where

information is not easily accessible the MQA prides itself

on its career guidance initiatives.

DMR Learner Focus Week

The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) annually

hosts the DMR Learner Focus week which took place

from 1-6 July 2012 in the Northern Cape. The DMR

selects learners who perform well in mathematics,

science and technology from rural, semi-urban areas

across the country.

The event included a science fair in which learners had

to identify a problem in a surrounding mining area and

create a model that would assist in solving the problem.

A mini-quiz was also completed by all learners for a prize.

An award ceremony was held to celebrate the winners of

the model and the quiz on the final day. The MQA awarded

bursaries to the two learners from the Western Cape that

won for the best model. These learners will pursue their

studies at any higher education institution of their choice.

Pat Gumede from the DMR commended organisations

such as the MQA on their role in promoting skills

development in the sector.

Eastern Limb Career Expo

The Eastern Limb Career Expo is an annual event intended

to increase awareness concerning skills shortages in

mines. The event was hosted by the mines in the Eastern

Limb from 14-17 August 2012 at the rural Lydenburg’s

Sports Centre. The mines support Government in

encouraging young people to pursue careers in

the fields that require mathematics and science

through this initiative. Over 8 000 grade 9

learners from surrounding schools attended the

event. Learners were encouraged to choose

mathematics and science in grade 10 as

these are the subjects that will see them

being accepted in engineering related fields

at FETs and HETs. The MQA Mining and Minerals

Sector Career Guidance books were distributed

to those learners who were planning

to take mathematics and science

as major subjects in grade 10.

Educators were encouraged to

also provide critical information to

learners to assist them with their

career choices.


08

Wednesday, 30 May 2012, was a day to remember

for employees at New Denmark Colliery when team

members were presented with their Mining Qualifications

Authority (MQA) certificates of competence.

A milestone for the MQA was the presentation of a

certificate of competence to Paulus Mara, a shift boss

who also became the first person in South Africa

to receive the MQA certification for the successful

completion of the skills programme in the Maintenance

of a Conveyor System in the mining and minerals sector.

recognition of skills And comPetence At

angLo american’s new denmark coLLiery

09


He was due to retire the next day having served New

Denmark for more than 28 years.

“We have gone beyond pure DMR compliance and are

moving to a more proactive training mindset. Previously,

training was limited to shift and face bosses as this

was a legal requirement. Now entire teams have been

assessed to examine and declare a working place safe

and to operate mining machinery, thus reinforcing the

notion of brother’s keeper and being a safety disciple on

the mine,” said Training Manager Mark Cummins.

As the competency-based assessment gains momentum

on the mine, management has agreed to roll out this

programme to all the miner sections for 2012 and to all

sections in 2013.

Industry safety training specialist Technology Risk

Solutions undertook the coaching, mentoring and

assessment aspects of the skills programme on behalf

of the colliery.

New Denmark’s decision to widen the band of employees

receiving competence training together with the

changes in its qualifications framework has far-reaching

implications in terms of employees’ personal growth

and mobility. It now has a situation where educational

inequality is no longer a binding factor should an

employee wish to advance.

New Denmark has declared 2012 the year of the

supervisor and part of this focus is the development of

skills of front line supervision, which will comprise formal

classroom supervisory training, job specific technical

training as well as on the job coaching and mentoring.

This intervention is well underway on the mine with

most shift bosses and foremen having undergone

psychometric assessments focusing on strengths

and weaknesses. Almost half of the target population

have been exposed to the Fundamentals of Leadership

Programme (FLP), a classroom-based supervisory

training course being presented centrally in Witbank.

The final stages of the programme include familiarisation

of legal appointments and applicable codes of practice

as well as on-the-job coaching and mentoring.

General Manager Mike Lawson, stressed the historic

nature of the occasion and reiterated that by meeting the

MQA’s requirements for the various skills progammes,

members of the team had also accumulated credits that

could be used in attaining MQA qualifications in the future.

(Above): General Manager Mr Mike Lawson congratulates Mr Paulus Mara.

(Above): New Denmark Colliery recipients of the MQA certificates of competence.


10

leArner Profile: maTeTe precioUs makine

A learnership is one of the learning programmes the

MQA administers for the mining sector to contribute

towards people empowerment and transformation.

It consists of a structured learning component and a

practical work experience component. A learnership

can only be offered by an accredited training provider.

For a learnership to take effect there must be a host

employer, an accredited training provider and a learner.

The three parties must sign a learning agreement

which has to be registered by the MQA. The MQA

provides grants to companies that offer learnerships to

learners. Matete Precious Makine is a beneficiary of an

MQA learnership.

What company do you work for and what is

your profession?

I work for Samancor Eastern Chrome mine near Lyden-

burg in Limpopo. I am a learner miner on a MQA learnership.

What is a learner miner?

A learner miner is a person who is employed by the

mine before entering into a rock breaking learnership.

These people are enrolled into this learning programme

which ultimately gives them a rock breaking certificate –

also known as a blasting certificate – mining companies

prefer to call them learner miners. On successful

completion of the programme, these learners are

appointed as miners, stopers or developers.

What subjects are required for one to be

accepted as a learner miner?

Grade twelve maths and science.

How long have you been with Samancor Eastern

Chrome mine?

Since 2 June 2011.

How did you get to be on the mqA learnership?

Samancor mine had advertised the opportunity to

apply for the learnership in a local newspaper. I applied

and my application was successful. It has always been

my dream to become a miner.

What inspired you to apply for a mining learnership?

I have always liked mining, even when I was still in

school, and wanted to study Mining Engineering but

unfortunately my family could not afford to send me

to university. They only managed to take me to an FET

college where I completed my N2 and N3.

Describe a typical day underground

for a learner miner.

A miner position is a legal appointment in terms

of the Mine Health and Safety Act. This person is

responsible for the blasting operations of rocks using

the explosives in a mining environment to ensure

that big rocks, which are in the form of walls, are

broken into pieces. These pieces are then hoisted or

taken out of the mining environment to surface in

the metallurgical department where other processes

unfold. A miner leads an underground team which

is made up of about 13 team members comprising

(Above): Matete Precious Makine: on the MQA Learnership with Samancor Eastern Chrome Mine.


11

2012 acc

machine operators (known as rock drill operators),

winch operators (responsible for sweeping the blasted

materials/ores/rocks), stope timbers (responsible for

installing the support), cheesas (known as blasting

assistance – responsible for charging up), as well as

a stope team leader/development team learner as an

immediate supervisor.

As a young woman, what do you perceive to

be a challenge working with male counterparts?

Due to the fact that there are not as many women

pursuing mining as a career, men believe that

women cannot cope with the job requirements. My

determination and dedication is what will ultimately

change how men view us as women.

How far would you want to pursue your

mining career?

I still want to study further. Most people refer to

a miner as a person who works in the mine. I think

it is very important that one must indicate that a

miner is an occupation on an official level. In terms of

career progression, the next level after a miner is a

The MQA hosted its 2012 Annual Consultative Conference

(ACC) on 26 October 2012 at the Premier Hotel in

Kempton Park. The theme of the event was “Partnering

for Superior Skills Transformation Success in Mining”.

The successful conference attended by close to 300

delegates was facilitated by Ms Latoya Mangezi fondly

known by soapy fans as “Ayanda”. The Chairperson,

Mr David Msiza, in his opening speech, emphasized the

value of stakeholder involvement in order to advance

skills development.

The MQA CEO Mr Sam Seepei presented the 2011-2012

Annual Report. Mr Hannes Hoon, Director for SETA

Performance Management at the DHET, in his key note

address applauded the MQA for performing excellently

in maintaining its clean audit report, and encouraged the

shift supervisor/shift boss, then a mine overseer (MO)

for which one must obtain a MO certificate, then a

section manager/production manager for which a mine

manager certificate of competency is required and,

finally, a mine manager or general manager (which is

coupled with academic qualifications, e.g BSc Mining).

Would you encourage other women to pursue

mining as a career?

Yes, as a young woman I would like to encourage

other women to face their fears about working in mines.

We need to show women power. Things have drastically

changed from when women were only expected to

work in a kitchen. There are so many opportunities for

women today that contribute to our empowerment.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Most young people in our communities are not

aware that they are residing on very rich soil as a

result of the minerals found underground. South Africa

is my country and very rich in minerals, I want to be

counted as one of the people who make it possible for

our economy to grow.

staff members to continue with the commendable work.

Ms Busi Mtintsilana from the QCTO presented on the

topic “The periscope of the QCTO and OFO processes”;

and Mr Edcent Williams from SAQA presented on the

topic “The role of SAQA in accelerating the delivery of

career guidance.”

(Above): Mr Sam Seepei MQA CEO presenting on the 2011-2012 Annual Report.

Documents

MQA Newsletter Second Quarter 2012