Botswana: Women in Mining Botswana has acknowledged the contributions of some influential women in the field of Mining. They hosted the inaugural Women in Mining Gamechangers Awards as a part of the 2023 Women in Mining Conference. Through these awards, the organization sought to acknowledge the tremendous contributions that some people have made in the field.
Women in Mining Botswana has shared the names of some of the most influencial people in the field. The women who won the awards for the various catagories are:
Award Category One: Exceptional Woman in Mining in Botswana
This award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a woman in the Botswana Mining Sector. The winner of this award is going above and beyond the call of her professional duty.
It is for women with a consistent, protracted professional success, leadership skills, resilience in overcoming barriers, and accepting new challenges.
The 2023 winner of the award is: Lesego Kebatsetse
Award Category Two: Rising Star in Mining in Botswana
This award recognizes an exceptional young woman who demonstrates early emerging leadership qualities. This young woman should have achieved significant career milestones in their career to date. It also recognizes their contribution to the extractive sector and or supporting mining contracting role.
The 2023 winner of the award is: Nells Onex Maripe
Award Category Three: Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Champion
This category recognizes and awards an individual, of any gender, who has worked towards attracting retaining, including and promoting the women in the resources sector.
These are individuals took advantage of their positions to influence the executive leaderships of their respective companies to adopt policies and programmes promoting diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.
This year’s recipeint of the award was: Tirelo Ramasedi
Cataqgoty Four: Outstanding Operator/Trade/ Technician
This category recognizes a passionate woman who is breaking new ground and barriers in non-traditional fields in the mining sector. It also recognizes the contribution to the mining sector in general and the community she serves.
This category primarily focuses women with vocational qualifications and skills. These may include but not limited to:
- Machine/Plant Operator
- Maintenance Specialist
- Electrician, Production Technician
- Production Specialist
- Control Room Technicians
- Maintenance Technician
- Lab Technicians
- Process Operators
- Fitter
- Riggers
- Plumbers
- Boilermaker
- Welders
The 2023 winner for the award is: Goitsemang Moitoi.
Award Category Five: Outstanding Support Services
This category recognizes women employed by mining/non-mining companies contracted to supply niche services to a mining company. These are exceptional women performing outstandingly in their fields.
The 2023 winner of the award is: Rachel Seleke-Motsu
Award Category Six: Excellence in Health, Safety & Environment
This category recognizes outstanding women in the professional area of Safety, Health and Environmental consciousness. These are women whose daily job is the safety of their colleagues and the community they serve in.
This category also includes all women owned companies that are contracted in the various disciplines of SHE as supporting service companies.
The 2023 winner of the award is: Lettie Pitlagano
Award Category Seven: Technology and Innovation
This category recognizes the achievements of women in technical fields who have developed and/or applied technological innovation in mining. It also recognizes the innovative solutions that they have developed and applied in a unique/innovative way in the resources sector.
The 2023 recipient of the honor is: Natasha Kalanke
Award Category Eight: Mentorship Excellence
This category is for women who of their own enginuity, passion and volition have been availing themselves as a sponsor of other women in their workplace.
This exceptional category if for women who are using their own time and resources to uplift other women who are working in their own field or any other field.
The 2023 winner for the honor is: Dintlenyane Nicky Sentsho
Final Awards category: Judges’ Choice Award
This award is for any nominee who the judges found exceptional, but did not fit any of the award categories.
This year, the judges found Thandie Moratwa Poole, worthy of this recognition.