WeeklySA_AdminINITIATIVE: Eleven women have completed SEIFSA’s inaugural leadership mentoring programme, with a new Women of Steel Forum set to sustain their development and support others in the metals and engineering industry…
By WSAM Reporter
The first 11 women to complete SEIFSA’s Women of Steel Leadership Mentoring Programme have marked a milestone in an initiative aimed at strengthening women’s leadership in the metals and engineering industry.
Their graduation ceremony, held at Komatsu Africa Holdings in Germiston on November 2, also saw the announcement of the SEIFSA Women of Steel Forum, a platform intended to sustain mentorship and build connections among women across the sector.
The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) launched the programme in May in partnership with Danish Industry (DI), giving participants access to experienced mentors and opportunities to develop their leadership abilities.
Speaking at the ceremony, SEIFSA chief executive Tafadzwa Chibanguza said the initiative had helped bring gender disparities into sharper focus.
“This programme has helped us put gender firmly on the agenda in an industry where it has too often received insufficient attention,” he said.
Chibanguza pointed to merSETA’s 2025/26 Sector Skills Plan, which highlights continuing gender disparities, particularly in technical and leadership positions across the sectors it covers.
“We regularly describe metals and engineering as a male-dominated industry. We celebrate women who succeed within it, and those achievements deserve recognition.”
The programme was jointly pioneered by SEIFSA’s industrial relations executive, Vuyiswa Miya-Mokwana, and human capital and skills development executive, Zizile Nyawo.
DI’s Helene Højrup Clausen said the importance of diversity in business was receiving greater recognition globally, with diverse teams bringing broader perspectives to decision-making.
She said the programme had helped women build confidence, expand their opportunities and take new steps in their careers, while contributing to change across the sector.
“Meaningful change happens when companies move beyond talking about diversity and start investing in it,” Clausen said.
Laura Harris, merSETA’s acting executive for strategy, research and reporting, said discussions about skills shortages could not overlook women, who represent a significant portion of the available talent pool.
“If we are serious about industrial growth, productivity and sustainability, then we must be equally serious about expanding opportunities for women throughout the value chain,” she said.
“Not only because it is the right thing to do. Although it is. But because it is also the smart thing to do.”
For Betterect chief executive Nicolette Skjoldhammer, who served as a mentor, the presentation of certificates signalled the completion of the formal programme, but mentorship needed to continue.
Announcing the Women of Steel Forum, she described it as a natural progression: a space where women could connect, exchange experiences, learn from those who had gone before them and support those following in their footsteps.
The forum’s founding members are Skjoldhammer, Weir Minerals Africa managing director Bridget Ledwaba, and Invincible Valves managing director and chief executive Pam du Plessis.
“Developing talent is not only an HR responsibility but a business imperative,” Skjoldhammer said.
Mentees Vanessa Naidoo and Busi Khumalo, alongside mentor Sylvester Makamu, shared testimonials about their experiences of the programme and the value of the mentoring relationships.
Chibanguza said investing in women’s leadership offered a practical response to companies’ concerns about skills and succession.
“For companies concerned about skills and succession, developing women leaders makes practical business sense.
We need to make better use of the talent already in our businesses and create conditions in which that talent can stay and progress.”
