Prior to working for Canyon Coal, Sylvia Dube was employed in 2014 by a contractor to Phalanndwa Colliery as a cleaner. She was then promoted to the position of Breakdown Clerk in the control room. However, in 2015, the human resources team at Canyon Coal put forward Sylvia’s name for the position of Site Administrator, when a vacancy arose, as they saw that she had an impressive work ethic and would be ideal for the position.

“At the time, I had no idea what the position entailed, nor did I have the relevant qualifications. But I was mentored and learnt what to do through practical on the job training. I then decided that I needed to learn the theory so I registered myself to do a course on administration through IQ Academy,” Sylvia explains.

Her role entails recording the mining production which includes monitoring machine-hours, time and attendance of employees and capturing the time sheets. Checking that the mining machines are operating correctly and the number of loads to and from the pit to the stockpile area is done correctly. Additionally, ensuring workers time and attendance sheets are correct is crucial to ensuring that mine staff’s salaries are correct every month.

Equal Treatment for All

In the 7 years that Sylvia has been working at Phalanndwa, as a contractor and later as a full time employee, she has received considerable support and guidance from her male colleagues. “Here at Phalanndwa, everyone is treated equally. In this environment, it's easy to work with the men as they respect their women colleagues,” she points out.

Sylvia says she never in her wildest dreams thought she would progress as far as she has. “I honestly thought when I started working here that I would work as a cleaner for the rest of my life. Little did I know that if I worked hard this would be recognised by my managers. There were also times when I was struggling with the responsibilities of this job and I seriously thought about quitting, but my managers kept encouraging me and I now really enjoy what I do,” she enthuses.

When Sylvia started at Phalanndwa she didn't know how to even start a computer. “I had to ask my colleagues about which button to press to turn it on. All I knew when I arrived here was how to clean very well because that's what I did at home. I went to school and completed matric, but I didn't know about computers. There was a young woman working at Phalanndwa at the time, she took me under her wing and mentored me, she showed me how to use a computer, how to send emails and use Microsoft Office programmes. The young woman was at the time a learner engineer and was technically my junior, but she still took the time and effort to mentor me,” Sylvia recounts.

Today, Sylvia repays the kindness and support she was shown by assisting new employees, learners and interns at the mine. “We all can use some guidance and support as even the smallest action can help people gain valuable skills and knowledge, which can become the building blocks for the rest of their careers,” she states.