PREPARING A LOCAL LIMPOPO COMMUNITY FOR MINING OPERATIONS THROUGH PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY

PETER SEBAKE KODUMELA BOKAMOSO YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Nelson Mandela

“

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Education is the great engine of personal development.

It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can

become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the

head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation.

It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given,

that separates one person from another.

Overview

1. Who are we? – Kodumela Bakomoso& Lesego Platinum

2. Background on Lesego Platinum3. Background on Kodumela Bakomoso4. Our Context: Education in Crisis5. Our Focus: Tackling the Roots6. Our Footprint: Where are we active? 7. Our Plan: What is our project doing

on the ground? 8. Our Lessons: Steps to building

sustainable and positive community relations?

9. Our Recommendations: What to do and what not to do

1. Who are we?

Kodumela Bokamoso is a non-profit organization that has been established as a response to the growing need to develop

leaders within rural communities. Kodumela has been partnering with Lesego

Platinum to bring educational transformation into communities by

positively building the capacity of people in these communities.

2. Background on Lesego Platinum

• Lesego Platinum has identified the future site of their proposed Platinum Mine.

• Lesego is currently busy applying for a mining license with DMR.

• Lesego is also working at sourcing investment for the mine.

Kodumela’s Footprint

49 schools

47 schools

3. Background on Kodumela Bokamoso

• Kodumela Bokamosowas started in 2009.

• Its focus since inception has been to develop young people in rural Limpopo.

• The emphasis until now has been on leadership development

4. Our Context: Education in Crisis

• It is widely acknowledged that education in SA is in crisis. Indeed, Nic Spaull in a 2013 report noted that: “most South African children are performing significantly below the curriculum, often failing to acquire functional numeracy and literacy skills” 1

• In its latest Global Competitiveness Report (2015), the World Economic Forum rates the quality of South African Primary education at 133rd out of 144 countries2

1 – Nic Spaull, Centre for Development & Enterprise Report: South Africa’s Education Crisis. October 2014.2 – http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_ACR_2015/Africa_Competitiveness_Report_2015.pdf

4. Our Context: Education in Crisis

• Key education challenges include:– Poor teacher content knowledge: “Below

basic teacher content knowledge is a binding constraint to progress”1

– Weak teaching of mathematics and science: “The teaching of mathematics in South African schools is among the worst in the world.” 2

– Principals are deficient in critical management and leadership experience and skills.3

– Principals and teachers lack professional knowledge and skills: “At underperforming schools Principals and teachers lack in-depth understanding of the factors which have the greatest impact on school success and learner performance.”4

1 – Nic Spaull, South African Teacher Content Knowledge in Local and International Perspective. Presentation at NAPTOSA Conference, August 2013. 2 – Mail & Guardian article, Maths Teaching In SA adds up to Multiplying Class Divisions. 24 October 2013.3 – Alan Clarke, ‘What I have learnt from working with underperforming schools’. School Management & Leadership. 5(2). 2011.4 – Ibid.

5. Our Focus: The Roots

Leadership

Teachers

Processes

Infrastructure

Performance

Learners reaching their potential

• Traditionally, companies like to focus on what can be seen – the fruit (eg. infrastructure).

• Our focus is on the roots –those elements that if transformed positively impact the fruit for the long-term.

• Our focus is thus on people development.

5. Our Focus: Why this particular focus?

As a team, we decided to focus on people development within education for the following reasons: • As a platinum mine, our preference would be to

employ people with matric. • The more employees we source from the local

community, the less social challenges we face in terms of socio-economic issues, housing etc.

• Communities place a high emphasis on education. If we can help raise the bar on education in the region of the mine, we are positively impacting the community for the long-term.

• We are building a positive brand for the mine among learners, educators and community leaders.

6. Our Footprint: 32 309 learners

Our emphasis is on education and specifically education within the context of Primary and High Schools.

We work in three rural Limpopo communities, and specifically with three Circuits within the Department: • Bahananwa Circuit (Capricorn District)• Mphahlele Circuit (Capricorn District)• Seotlong Circuit (Greater Sekhukhune

District)

7. Our Plan: What are we doing?

7. Our Plan: People Development

Principal Development Programme

Teacher Development Programme

Winter School

Career Guidance & Career Expo

Growing Leaders

Growing Teachers

Growing Learners

Awarding Learners

Personal Development Programme

Leadership Development Programme

School Management Programme

Curriculum Management

Mathematics

Science

Accountancy

110 yearly

127 yearly

32 000 yearly

15

Principal Development Programme

Teacher Development Programme

Career Expos

Challenging young people to dream big and to work hard!

Career Guidance

Winter Schools

What the community are saying?

“Thanks to the work of Lesego Platinum we have seen a lot of improvement with regards to subject performance. This year

has skyrocketed in performance from an average of 36% in 2013 exam results to an average of 65% in 2014.”

(Mr. Seroka – Seotlong Circuit Manager)

“Your work in our circuit has been extremely beneficial. Your work among the principals has definitely been a positive

experience. As you have equipped the principals and school leaders to lead, you have served as a ‘revival’ in the minds of leaders. …Teachers have really grown through your teacher development sessions and we see this reflected in our trial

exam results. Thank you.” (Ms. Mahapa – Mphahlele Circuit Manager)

8. Our Lessons: Steps to positive, sustainable community relations

Step 1: What do you see?

• Before you do something in a local community, ask yourself: What do I see?

• You are setting yourself up for failure if you: • See the community as backward and in

need of you.• See only the negative things and the

problems• See yourself as the solution to their

problems• Take the time to listen for the real needs in

the community. • If you see value and recognize the assets

currently in the community your approach towards the community will be different.

Step 2: Connect with the community

• Once you see value, once you respect them, once you listen, then you can build a proper relationship.

• Work hard to understand the local culture

• Work with the social partners who are already present in the community.

• Partner with them and do not try to do things on your own.

• Show the community that you have a long-term view and want to build sustainably for the future.

Step 3: Keep the conversation going

• Communicate with the community and all key role-players within the community.

• Keep them informed about what you can and can’t do

• Don’t make promises that you cannot keep – under promise and over deliver.

• Keep updating the community about your project including the ups and downs on this journey.

• Help the community to understand the realities and to see the wins for all.

9. Our Recommendations:

What not to do?

• Don’t: • Make assumptions about what

the community needs• Assume that the community has

not got the capacity to do something

• Assume that the community is one heterogeneous group

• Assume that the community would see things through your lenses

• Impose your thinking on the community

What to do?

• Do: • Clearly identify the key role-players• Meet with them in order for you to

understand the needs of the community and to communicate about the plans for the mine.

• Partner with them in dealing with bringing solutions

• Take a long-term view and don’t take short-cuts.

• Be honest about where you are on the journey.

Winter School• Mphahlele Circuit: 978 learners• Seotlong Circuit: 189 learners• Peter Sebake and Dennis Neville

from Lesego spoke to these learners across a number of schools in both circuits, motivating learners to not give up but to work hard …

THANK YOU

Contact Details for Kodumela Bokamoso

Peter Sebake:

Telephone: +27 826 875 916Email: peter.sebake@kodumela.comWeb: www.kodumela.com