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Fin24 reports that 1 June marked the first day in the job as executive vice president (EVP) of SA operations at Gold Fields for Benford Mokoatle.
But, the veteran miner donned his yellow and navy uniform and reported for work at the South Deep mine as he has done for the past six years as head of operations. A geologist by training, Mokoatle started out his career working for Anglo Gold Ashanti at the Mponeng operation and working his way up to become the geology manager. He went on to work at De Beers, where he eventually became general manager of the Venetia mine. A combination of geological training, business acumen, and ability to connect with employees on a personal level, ultimately saw Mokoatle stepping into his latest role. Joining Gold Field's South Deep mine in 2017 was a bit of a homecoming for Mokoatle, who was born in Soweto, just 30km from the mine. For a geologist, South Deep is a dream challenge. Managing and motivating teams there has posed a formidable challenge for the operation, which, despite changing hands several times, only turned profitable for the first time in 2019. Mokoatle is the first black South African to assume the role of EVP of SA operations at Gold Fields – a mining group founded by Cecil John Rhodes in 1897. Today, he sees the sector as leading in terms of transformation across the board from middle managers to executives, as well as in respect of the number of women in mining. Mokoatle is stepping into the job at a time when local producers have been buoyed by sky-high rand gold prices, but are struggling with rising inflation and deepening power cuts.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisa Steyn at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
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