[SPEECH] SPEAKING NOTES BY THE HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINERAL AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES, MS PHUMZILE MGCINA | WOMEN IN MINING AND PETROLEUM CONFERENCE

[SPEECH] SPEAKING NOTES BY THE HONOURABLE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINERAL AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES, MS PHUMZILE MGCINA | WOMEN IN MINING AND PETROLEUM CONFERENCE 441 Let me start by thanking you all for joining us at this important Women in Mining and Petroleum Conference. Your participation in this meeting provides us with an opportunity to collectively address one of the most pressing challenges facing women who seek meaningful participation in the mainstream economy – lack of access to information. Msizi Nyalungu / Monday, September 7, 2026 / Categories: Speeches Southern Sun Elangeni-Maharani, Durban 7 September 2026 Deputy Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Councillor Zandile Myeni, Representatives of various government Departments, Representatives of various State-Owned Entities, Representatives of various mining houses, Distinguished Guests, Let me start by thanking you all for joining us at this important Women in Mining and Petroleum Conference. Your participation in this meeting provides us with an opportunity to collectively address one of the most pressing challenges facing women who seek meaningful participation in the mainstream economy – lack of access to information. The fact remains that South Africa has been an active mining jurisdiction for more than a century. Together with the petroleum sector , these sectors remain among the most significant drivers of economic growth , industrial development , foreign direct investment , and employment creation . Yet, despite this contribution over many years, many people – women in particular – were historically excluded from meaningful participation in these sectors of the economy. The dawn of democracy in 1994 signalled the beginning of a process of transformation , from an era of marginalisation to a constitutional democracy anchored on the principles of unity, non-racialism, non-sexism, and prosperity. Since then, government has made significant strides towards transforming the economy by enabling more historically disadvantaged persons to participate meaningfully in economy activities. Various policies and legislative frameworks have been put in place to drive this transformation. In the minerals and petroleum sectors, the enactment of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) in 2002 marked a significant shift towards this transformation. Anchored on Freedom Charter’s clarion call that “the people shall share in the country’s wealth,” the MPRDA placed the custodianship of the country’s mineral and petroleum resources in the hands of the state, on behalf of the people as a whole. This means, women - irrespective of their geographical location in the country - have a stake in the country’s mineral and petroleum resources. They also have an equal opportunity to participate in core activities within these sectors. Today, more 78 000 women are actively participating in the mining industry. The same is true of the petroleum sector, where thousands of women are actively participating. Most importantly, women are not participating merely as employees. Some are also leading multinational companies and occupying senior positions across the managerial and executive echelons of these industries. This is our reality today. Let us be frank, these women are not done a favour . They are professional women, and they have demonstrated that they are capable of leading in these sectors. Yet, despite this progress, lack of access to information remains one of the greatest barriers preventing even greater participation by women in the mining and petroleum sectors. To be honest, this is not necessarily because women are not making efforts to find information. In many instances, the information they require already exists. The challenge is that it is not always easily accessible, understandable, or effectively reaching those who need it most. Getting the right information to the right people, therefore, requires deliberate and sustained intervention. It is against this backgro