Sthembile is comfortable in safety boots and high heels

Put a woman behind a project and you are sure to have a success story.

This especially is relevant as we celebrate Women’s Month this month.

Sthembile Mshololo-Mbhele, who is a mine overseer, hits the headlines this week as she is on track to lead Thungela’s Goedehoop’s Prime 2 section to its third consecutive million.

Sthembile started her career not long after the ban on women working underground had been lifted and, starting at the very bottom, is now responsible for 118 people.

“It’s my job to oversee planning, production and safety,” said Sthembile, who feels blessed to run a team she describes as highly motivated and passionate about being the best they can be.

Prime 2, a double-header section, was the first in the country to mine a million tonnes in South Africa in 2021 and 2022 and will be looking for a hat trick later this year.

Having just qualified at the Colliery Training College (CTC), Sthembile’s first few months underground were like learning to swim, they say you can watch others do it and listen to instructions, but the real learning happens when you jump right in.

“The team was made up of experienced miners who treated me with nothing but respect. They were protective and patient and I still remember many of the lessons they taught me.”

Sthembile said her colleagues turned into family.

It’s this kind of culture that she believes makes mining special.

“The environment is such that you have to look after one another, and eventually you become a family.

“I was at Goedehoop when we had a fatality in 2015 and 2018, and that was tough. Looking back, it gave me an obsession for leading indicators. Most major events don’t just come out of nowhere. There are signs that something is wrong. That’s why I never take a small reportable injury or high‑potential hazard lightly.”

To date, Prime 2 has worked more than 870 scratch‑free days, while her Section 3 is approaching 600.

Mining has come a long way in the 20 years since Sthembile joined the industry and has thankfully become a place where women can go as far as they want, and do it with dignity.

“One of the most obvious changes is personal protective equipment, and I’m proud to have been one of the women to advocate for female‑friendly workwear.

“Early in my career, we’d have women with a size four foot wearing a size seven boot. There also weren’t two‑piece overalls, so you’d have to take everything off – including your lamp, rescue pack, battery pack and belt – to go to the ‘bathroom’ underground.”

Sthembile said she is not ‘Wonder Woman’ and she is content with that.

“Raising a family and managing a production‑intensive job can be challenging. There’s an expectation that women can, or should, do everything. Pack in a full day’s work, keep the house clean and tidy, prepare the family meal, help with homework and sort the kids out for the next day at school. I almost drove myself crazy trying to do it all, and realised it’s just not possible. We all need help.”

Today she has a great support system in place to help get the balance right.

To add more balance she takes her three children out to places they enjoy and to simply watch them be happy.

There is also time for ‘me time’ in this mom’s life.

“I’m that miner who likes a mani‑pedi and a massage,” said this phenomenal woman who makes the switch from hard hat to high heels seamlessly.

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