Johannesburg, 5 November 2026 — Women leaders — both current and future — were the focus of the close-out ceremony of the initial cohort of SEIFSA’s Mentoring Programme and the announcement of the Women of Steel Forum at Komatsu Africa Holdings in Germiston on November 2.
In May the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) partnered with the Danish Industry (DI) to launch the Women of Steel — Women’s Leadership Mentoring Programme with the goal of providing women with the opportunity to engage with experienced mentors and strengthen their leadership abilities.
“This programme has helped us put gender firmly on the agenda in an industry where it has too often received insufficient attention. MerSETA’s 2025/26 Sector Skills Plan highlights continuing gender disparities, particularly in technical and leadership roles across the sectors it covers,” said Tafadzwa Chibanguza, the Chief Executive Officer of SEIFSA. “We regularly describe metals and engineering as a male-dominated industry. We celebrate women who succeed within it, and those achievements deserve recognition.”
The DI’s Helene Højrup Clausen said there has been increased recognition globally of the importance of diversity in business and that diverse teams make better decisions.
She said the programme, which is focused on creating change across the whole sector, helped women to gain confidence, expand their opportunities and take new steps in their careers and, crucially, did more than simply talk about it. “Meaningful change happens when companies move beyond talking about diversity and start investing in it.”
Laura Harris, acting Executive: Strategy, Research and Reporting at merSETA, spoke about the importance of making a commitment to skills development for women in the Metals & Engineering Sector and how this could translate into more women filling the persistent skills gap in the sector.
She said there was a need for greater focus on the “ships”, including ally-ship and mentorship.
The first cohort of 11 mentees may have received their certificates of completion, but mentorship should be ongoing, said Nicolette Skjoldhammer, the Chief Executive Officer of Betterect, as she announced the creation of the SEIFSA Women of Steel Forum. The forum’s founding members are Skjoldhammer, Bridget Ledwaba, the Managing Director of Weir Minerals (Africa), and Pam du Plessis, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Invincible Valves.
Skjoldhammer described the forum as a natural progression and platform where women can connect and share their experiences as well as learn from those who have gone before them and support those who come after them.
“Developing talent is not only an HR responsibility but a business imperative,” she said.
Mentees Vanessa Naidoo and Busi Khumalo and mentor Sylvester Makamu each presented a testimonial of their rich and meaningful experience on the programme
“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,” said Chibanguza.
