Ms. Mathamelo (pictured below right) assists black women in South Africa to own and operate their own small scale mines. The point is to create a business which can provide tangible benefits to the community. You cannot do that unless the business reaches that critical threshold where you can hire employees.You are considered a successful businessperson when you have actually hired your first employee. This is critical in a country with large swaths of unemployment - it is essential to provide jobs so that members of the community can live a life with hope and prosperity. It is part of the odd capitalist/socialist nature of South African business. Because of this, you will find very few women that run businesses like selling Avon, or similar types of businesses which black women are drawn to in the United States. South African women are more involved in "hard" businesses - mining, trucking, manufacturing, security, etc. They are expected to provide jobs and opportunities to their communities.
BTW a bourse (mentioned in the article) is a stock or trading exchange.
Denise van Esche
Founder/C.E.O.
OMR Security Group
Thelma Mathamelo
MBA graduate and a mining entrepreneur with extensive mining experience.
Her current projects include being part of Minrico, a Randgold & Exploration Subsidiary company, with interest in Diamond and Gold mining, Director in Ongoza/Diamcor Joint Venture, a Kimberlite Exploration project in the Northern Cape. She is a shareholder in Randgold & Exploration, a director and shareholder in The Diamond Bourse of Africa, the first Black Empowered diamond bourse in South Africa. Thelma received the Cosmopolitan Magazine Business Mover of the year award 2004/2005.
With her strong background in the Education fraternity, her previous involvement include: Member of the Standards Board at Pretoria Technikon, Member of Board of Examiners at the University of North West (Business School), and Executive Board member in the South African Institute of Management Services (SAIMAS).
She is currently Chairman of Marothodi Resources, Director Royal Anthem Investments and Bonang Training and Development which she founded in 2003, and Director in Minrico.
She dedicates her time empowering rural communities, particularly women, through training on small scale mining as a business. Being passionate about children and their well being, she is a patron of various orphanages.
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