Mpho Kgadima, also a BTech Mining graduate in 2012, is Section Manager: Drilling, Blasting and Technical at Kolomela Mine near Postmasburg in the Northern Cape, owned by Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore, which supplies high- quality iron ore to the global steel industry. Of her time at UJ DFC, Mpho says “it’s true when they say, it’s the people that make the place … DFC is where I met my lifetime friends, my mentors, and my community away from home”. “The structure of the programme also allowed us a glimpse of the industry, which was an eye opener for me. I am a proud miner from UJ, a quality miner. I always say nothing prepares you for the mining industry, but UJ. Even today, I am still dependent on lecturers who are committed to shaping my future, including
The platinum in the Burgersfort area is also proving to outlive most”, says Mathobela. Kgadima agrees: “Limpopo is a province rich with the most valuable minerals in the world such as iron ore, platinum and diamonds. My personal feeling is we need to reimagine Limpopo back to the treasure that it is and empower our communities to educate themselves.” Tebele Letswalo is shift supervisor in Rustenburg at Sibanye Gold, South Africa’s largest gold producer, while Andronica Makhura is a shift boss at Harmony Gold Mine (Bambanani Operations) in Welkom, Free State. Harmony Gold is the third largest gold mining company in South Africa.
Ntabiso Ndiweni, Peter Knottenbelt and Ivan Wermuth”, she says. Mathobela recalls UJ DFC as a close knit family. “Almost everyone knew one another, even across departments. My biggest highlight was the mining tour, under the HOD at the time (Peter Knottenbelt). It was well worth the experience”, she says. She predicts that she, along with at least one or two of the class of 2012, might reunite one day in Limpopo, Africa’s “mining Eden”. The treasure in Limpopo “The mining sector in Limpopo is one of the biggest pillars of the economy after farming, with a lot of projects on small scale mining on the go. The coal in the Lephalale region (Grootegeluk Coal Mine) is stretching to a mining life of close to 30 years.
UNDERSTANDING TODAY. CREATING TOMORROW. To us, “The Future Reimagined”, is not a mere line under our logo. It’s a daily challenge. It’s what motivates us to integrate the 4th Industrial Revolution into everything that steers Africa to a place of intellectual leadership. Creating Tomorrow is active not passive. It’s a collection of minds coming together to make change happen, and we’re leading the way.
So, when you think of the University of Johannesburg, think of it as more than a just a world class, higher education facility. Think of it as the place where tomorrow is being created.
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