Professor May Hermanus resigns from the CSMI

Professor Hermanus has built the CSMI from a fledgling initiative into a well-known and widely respected centre of excellence for practitioners working in the fields of safety, health, environment and community engagement (SHEC).

The CSMI was established in 2004 as part of Wits University's School of Mining Engineering to develop education and training capacity in the multi-disciplinary domain of sustainable development and mining. It was also tasked with developing, over time, a fully-fledged research programme.

The work of Professor Hermanus and her team has contributed invaluably towards these goals. The CSMI now delivers a comprehensive education programme, which includes two MSc (course work) programmes, and a certificate programme for inspectors and others responsible for SHEC. It also offers, in partnership with other universities and institutions, two niched educational offerings: a course on risk management and a certificate programme for community practitioners.

She has pioneered the establishment of a research framework and a number of research projects are already underway.

Sterling work

We would like to pay tribute to the sterling work that she has done for the university and for the industry, both in South Africa and the rest of Africa, bringing to bear her keen understanding of industry's operational and policy challenges in the sustainability field. Under her guidance, the CSMI has made huge strides in tackling the practicalities of regulating and implementing a sustainable future for industry on our continent.

Building on the concerns of the landmark Global Mining Initiative, the centre has become a key African hub for taking forward an international vision for this sector, and its impact is to be felt at both academic and practical levels.

Among her various achievements, Professor Hermanus has also developed the institutional capacity of the CSMI, establishing a core team of lecturers and researchers within a network of associates involved in course delivery and research. This has also involved formalising the design and documentation of courses (enabling continuity in teaching and updating of materials), and building up a solid administration team to manage registration, delivery, documentation, finances, and other demands of a busy organisation.

While she will not take credit for any of this on her own, we are sad to be losing such an accomplished practitioner and campaigner from our ranks, and wish her all the best in her future endeavours. The School of Mining Engineering is delighted that Professor Hermanus has indicated she wishes to continue her personal research within the School following her departure. We certainly hope and trust that we will continue to benefit from her insights in whatever capacity we work with her in future.