MINE HEALTH AND SAFETY BRANCH

1
DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY JOINT
COMMITTEE ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF STATUS AND
QUALITY OF ISSUES OF WOMEN 28 MARCH 2003
2
PRESENTATION WOULD COVER THE FOLLOWING

• Departmental objectives
• Progress made by the Department
• Employment Equity performance of the Department
• Rural development and poverty alleviation
  projects
• Energy projects
• Mining and Minerals
• Community outreach programmes
• Challenges
• Conclusion

3
DEPARTMENTAL OBJECTIVES

• ..

4
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PERFORMANCE OF DME

• The Department strives to ensure equity in all
  spheres of its work .
• Currently employment equity stands at 40 women
  against a national target of 30 at both Senior
  and Middle Mannagement levels.
• Breakdown is as follows
• Senior management (50 DDGs, 4 out of 9 Chief
  Directors), 4 out of 9 Directors Mineral
  Development (Heads of regional offices)

5
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY continue

• In terms of a breakdown per branch, statisitcs
  are as follows
• Ministry Females 9 and Males 3
• Director-Generls Office Females 4 and Males
  3
• Mineral Development Females 174 and Males
  139
• Energy Branches Females 27 and Males 34
• Mine, Health and Safety Insepctorate Females
  58 and
• Males 193
• Support Services Females 98 and Males 69

6
CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES

• Internship
• Since 2000, the Department enrolled 64 persons on
  its internship programme.
• The intial batch of interns (first generation of
  interns) were in the energy sector focusing on
  coal, gas, electricity, etc.
• All these have since been absorbed or appointed
  of DM
• Currently the Department has managed to place 56
  interns,mostly females.
• In terms of Departmental Internship policy, each
  Directorate must place at least 2 interns during
  each financial year.

7
BURSARIES

• Currently there are 110 women of the 290 bursary
  holders that have enrolled at formal learning
  institutions.
• Of these women, 19 are graduates from the
  Internship programme whilst 13 acquired
  scholarships for IT and Engineering through the
  Malaysian and other programmes.
• Department has developed a mentorship policy to
  facilitate proper transfer of knowledge

8
MALAYSIAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME

• Programme started in the year 1999.
• First intake of students occurred during the same
  year(i.e 1999)
• Only students from the disadvantaged communities
  are admitted to the programme in the fields of
  Engineering,Information Management and IT
• Currently thirty-five(35) students are on the
  programme of which thirteen(13) are females and
  twenty-two(22) are males.

9
DANCED SPECIAL PROJECT

• On the DANCED programme six(6) contract workers
  were appointed of which four were females.
• Currently,all of the contract employees have been
  absorbed into the permanent structure of the
  Department.

10
HR INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

• Filling of positions
• Special preference is being given to women in the
  filling of positions, particularly technical
  areas
• Selection panels must have gender
  reprentationand
• Gender specific demands are taken into
  consideration during the selection processes.
• Challenges still exist with regard to the filling
  of posts. These incude
• Poor response to advertised positions as a
  concequence of the legacy of the past(i.e
  limitation on females to study for careers in
  Minerals and Energy)and
• Stiff competition from the private sector on the
  limited pool of expertise from female gender.

11
GENDER PROGRAMMES IN THE DEPARTMENT

• On the energy side, the following initiatives
  have been embarked upon
• Since the signing of the Oil charter, the
  following intiaitives were implemented aimed at
  facilitating the meaningful particupation of
  women in the energy sector.
• Lauched WOESA
• WOESA is an organisation aimed at facilitating
  the participation of women in the oil, gas an
  broader energy sector and with the responsibility
  of understanding and representing the interests
  and advancement of its members.
• Since WOESA was launched early during 2002.
• Women are now participating in this industry.

12
WOESA continue

• Women in Oil and Energy South Africa (WOESA) have
  made great strides in the petroleum sector.
• The Department has initiated a pro-active stance
  and has convened feedback meetings with the
  executive management of Woesa. 
• Individual members of Woesa have managed to cease
  the opportunities in this sector through
  knowledge sharing, access to skills and
  expertise, access to database, sharing of
  information and skills transfer to other females
  generally.

13
ENERGY SIDE continue

• SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN IN MINING ASSOCIATION
  (SAWIMA)
• This is an organisation aimed at moblising women
  to tackle common problems in the mining sector
  and advise on strategies to tackle them.
• SAWIMA has branches in all the provinces .
• Currently membership stands at around

14
RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION

•  
• INEP
• Through the Integrated National Electrification
  
• Programme, DME has made concerted effort to
  improve
• the lives of ordinary South Africans and thus
  addressing
• the plight of women, especially in rural
  areas.
• For 2002/03 financial year, an amount of R639.5m
  (including VAT) has been transferred as at end
  February 2003
• This amount includes schools and clinics
  electrification.
• Of this amount, a total of R238.4m was spent in
  the Development Nodes of which R29.3m was in
  Urban
• Nodes and R209.1m in Rural Nodes,
• An estimated figure of R302.0m (Including VAT)
  has been
• spent on BEEs. It is the intention ot have a
  more
• auditable process for BEE expenditure and
  monitoring
• for Electrification that would categorise
  women, youth,
• etc.

15
SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURE
 
16
REPORT ON FREE BASIC ELECTRICITY

• Government announced provision of FBE to poor
  households to alleviate poverty
• Results of pilot studies indicated the following
  benefits from the pilot projects and improved
  life and status of women epsecially in rural
  areas
• Time spent by women collecting wood from the
  forest and cowdunggs for cooking has been reduced
  since most women are now using free basic
  electricity for cooking food.
• Provision of free basic electricity did not only
  save women time but also money and saved for
  household budget like paying for other forms of
  energy such as paraffin, wood and candles
• The present generation of girls and younger women
  will have more opportunity to further their
  studies because they got enough electricity for
  lighting while studying at night.

17
FBE continue...

• Most of the women in rural areas are unemployed
  and they spent most of their time at home with
  out any access to news during the day because a
  radio or TV was played only in the evening to
  save the batteries. With the aid of free basic
  electricity women can now have access to news
  through a black and white TV or a small radio at
  evening and during the day. This has made a great
  significance in empowering women through
  electronic media
• The introduction free basic electricity
  encourages women to use electricity as a source
  of economic development in the rural areas for
  example Spaza Shops etc.
• The spin of introducing electricity, in the form
  of free basic electricity in areas where
  electricity usage is low encourages women to take
  part in the other fields of study such as
  electrical and mechanical engineering which are
  traditionally dominated by men.

18
LOW SMOKE FUELS PROGRAMME

•  
• In initiating the Low-Smoke Fuels Programme, the
  Department has taken cognizance of the fact that
  women are generally the household energy managers
  and even after electrification still burn low
  grade coal and other polluting fuels. There is
  proven increased morbidity and mortality caused
  by smoke from household fires. Residential air
  pollution is recognised as the major exposure
  risk of air pollution in South Africa.It is
  estimated that public health costs caused by
  residential air pollution is R 455,000,000 per
  annum. Below is a three Phase approach to
  ameliorating this problem thereby improving
  quality of life and the plight of women

19

• Phase 1 Top-down Ignition of coal fires (Basa
  Magogo ignition) of
• coal fires
• First implementation in Orange farm during winter
  2003
• Causes approx 40 less pollution than
  conventional method
• Will lead to reduced pollution in homes
• Leads to less coal required
• Increase in disposable income

20

• Phase 2 Provision of low-smoke fuels for
  households
• Submission being drafted for Cabinet
• Causes approx 50 less pollution than normal coal
• Will lead to reduced pollution in homes
• Usually cleaner to handle than coal
• Certain Low-smoke fuels will provide a Quick fire
  that will save time

21

• Phase 3 Housing insulation to reduce energy
  requirements
• in homes
• Causes approx 10 - 30 less pollution than normal
  coal
• Will lead to reduced pollution in homes less
  fuel is needed
• Home feels like a home warm in winter cool in
  summer
• Saves money on fuel cost and increases disposable
  income 

22
INTRODUCTION OF NATUAL GAS

• The introduction of natural gas will
  significantly reduce household indoor and ambient
  air pollution. There will be convenient fuel in
  terms of time, availability and cleanliness. This
  will lead to more time for other life improvement
  activities. There will also be additional income
  from professional careers/small businesses.
  Arrangements were made with Sasol for special
  rates for low income households. The supply of
  gas to residential areas is currently being
  investigated for low income (as well as others)
  areas two areas look promising, namely Witbank
  and Middelburg (close to the Mozambique/South
  Africa natural gas transmission pipeline).

23
INTRODUCTION OF NATUAL GAScontinue

• A single maximum retail price for illuminating
  paraffin (excluding the costs of any container)
  throughout South Africa will become effective on
  2 April 2003. From this date the maximum price
  for paraffin throughout the country will be.
  R0,00 per litre. If paraffin is sold in
  containers of less than a litre the price must be
  reduced accordingly. For instance, if it is sold
  in a bottle of 750 ml then the price may not
  exceed R0,00. Dealers may at any time sell
  paraffin at a lower price than the maximum price.
• Paraffin is the primary source of energy for
  low-income households and in many cases it is the
  only source of energy to such households,
  especially in the non-electrified and rural
  areas. The regulation of paraffin prices form
  part of Governments strategy of poverty
  alleviation and to keep the prices of basic
  commodities as affordable as possible.

24
INTRODUCTION OF NATUAL GAScontinue

• In determining a single national retail price for
  illuminating paraffin the average national
  transport cost of illuminating paraffin is added
  to the wholesale price of illuminating paraffin
  at the coast and a maximum retail profit margin
  of 33,3 per cent is then allowed to determine the
  maximum retail price. The maximum retail profit
  margins for illuminating paraffin will
  consequently vary from area to area as a result
  of inherent transport costs. The price of
  paraffin is however calculated on such a basis
  that all the participants in the industry will be
  able to earn a fair income on paraffin sales.

25
INTRODUCTION OF NATUAL GAScontinue

• The price of paraffin, will like that of petrol
  and diesel change on a monthly basis on the
  first Wednesday of each month. The new price
  for every month will be published in the
  Government Gazette and widely announced using
  all media. This price will also be promulgated
  in the Government Gazette each month, as is the
  case with retail petrol prices.