Sibanye-Stillwater empowered a community in the Free State by installing a Maths Lab at the Mamello Senior Secondary School, helping students reach university levels.
Free State, South Africa – 18-year-old Dimakatso Mosito is the first person in her family to complete matric. It is something her brother and mother are immensely proud of, and their aspirations for her future are almost as big as her own. She is also the recipient of a 2019 Sibanye-Stillwater bursary to study at Wits University and wishes to qualify as an engineer. This, she says, will allow her to fulfil her dream of one day being the one to provide for her family.
Dimakatso’s success is part hard work and dedication, and part the excellent Maths and Science education she received at Mamello Senior Secondary School in Virginia in the Free State. Global precious metal mining group, Sibanye-Stillwater, has created a Maths Lab, which allows the learners to touch, feel, and experience Maths, rather than feel overwhelmed by the purely theoretical work done in the classroom. It has made Maths fun, and has greatly improved the learners’ results.
The Maths Lab was borne out of Sibanye-Stillwater’s ethos of bringing about meaningful and relevant change to the communities in which it operates. It believes that education enables communities to empower themselves and follows a holistic approach to bring this about. Apart from supporting learners at school level, Sibanye-Stillwater’s philosophy has sparked their support of the advancement of Science and Technology at tertiary institutions too. At Wits University, in particular, it has created a Digital Mining Laboratory, or DigiMine.
The DigiMine is a ground-breaking solution which provides a safe, mock-environment in which students can research digital technologies for application in underground mining, without the risks involved in a real-life situation. MSc candidate, Mosima Matlhwana, says it’s an amazing place for innovators as they can not only learn the technologies and get practical experience but are also able to immerse themselves in mining culture. For Sibanye-Stillwater, it is an opportunity to put the brightest minds, with their concomitant fresh perspective, onto real-world issues and opportunities present in the mining world.
In addition to demonstrating its commitment to education, Sibanye-Stillwater is actively involved in improving the prospects of the communities in which it operates. Founder and owner of start-up business, Siliane Jewels, Anthonia Siliane, is testimony to that. He says that being a business owner is not easy, but having been part of the Platinum Incubator has assisted him incredibly. It has taught him practical business skills and aided him with the advancement of his business acumen. To top it all off, he bagged the People’s Choice Award at the prestigious PlatAfrica awards ceremony in 2018, placing him firmly on both the local and international jewellery design map. It is results like these that Sibanye-Stillwater thrives on. Not only partnering with communities on what matters to it, but also ensuring that these same communities will be sustained long after its mining operations cease to exist.
As part of the #SAINC nation-building initiative, Sibanye-Stillwater is joining a network of purpose-driven brands to share stories of positive progress in South Africa. These stories are being featured across social media in small snippets, just like the one below, but you will also be able to watch the full-length features live on television. You will find the airing times below.
05 May 2019 – eTV Open News – 18:30
06 May 2019 – eTV Open News – 15:30
18 May 2019 – SABC 2 – 14:30
09 June 2019 – eTV – 12:00
18 June 2019 – Business Day TV – 16:00
20 June 2019 – Business Day TV – 12:00
Watch a snippet of the story below:
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