This is a result of fruitful discussions between the special projects office of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Kolomela mine. The handover was done at a function where the DMR rewarded top performing learners in Grade 10, 11 and 12 from the Free State, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo with study bursaries to continue their studies at university in the minerals and mining fields.
The awards ceremony formed part of the department's 11th annual Learners Focus Week Career Guidance Programme in Ventersburg in the Freestate. The programme is part of a national project hosted in conjunction with the provincial education departments and mining companies. It is aimed at exposing high school learners from historically disadvantaged communities to career opportunities in the minerals and mining sector.
Supporting the learners in this way forms part of Kumba's commitment to education and is a contribution to developing the skills of learners. These learners can ultimately join its workforce and add to the skills base in the country. Kumba has a history of involvement in education that includes early childhood development for children up to Grade R and primary, high school and tertiary education in communities around its operations. This included teacher and learner interventions and science laboratory buildings, mobile laboratories and technology kits.
"One of the four pillars of Kumba's organisational strategy is to create and leave a positive legacy in the communities in which we operate; striving to become the partner of choice for the broadest range of stakeholders through our commitment to corporate social investment. One issue that is central to our development as an economy and as a nation is education. Through education destinies can be changed for the better, strong communities built, and a self-sustaining economy created. We acknowledge that the kind of education delivered during this phase impacts on an individual's whole education journey. Our intervention therefore in this regard is aimed at ensuring that the basics are in place for the learners," said Yvonne Mfolo, Public Affairs Manager of Kumba.
