The Minerals Council Board members elected the new Office Bearers for 2020/2021 at the 130th Annual General Meeting.
Mxolisi Mgojo, CEO of Exxaro Resources, has been re-elected as President of the Minerals Council. Steve Phiri, CEO of Royal Bafokeng Platinum; Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater and Zanele Matlala, CEO of Merafe Resources have been re-elected as Vice Presidents. In addition, Nolita Fakude, Group Director: South Africa of Anglo American has been elected as a Vice President of the Minerals Council.
Andile Sangqu, former Executive Head of Anglo American South Africa resigned as Vice President in January 2020 when he left the company.
There have been several other changes to the Board. Shadwick Bessit, Executive Vice President: SA gold operations at Sibanye-Stillwater and Robert van Niekerk, Executive Vice President: SA PGM operations at Sibanye-Stillwater joined the Board in July 2019. Deshnee Naidoo, former CEO of Vedanta Zinc International resigned from the Board when she left Vedanta in April 2020.
The Mineral Council CEO Roger Baxter said: “On behalf of the Minerals Council and its members, I express our sincere gratitude to the Office Bearers and Board members for their astute leadership and wise counsel during the year. I would like to pay tribute to the Board of the Minerals Council, our President, Mxolisi Mgojo, and Vice Presidents, Steve Phiri, Neal Froneman, Andile Sangqu and Zanele Matlala, for their continued support. We also thank the outgoing Board members for their contributions over the years.
“We welcome the new Board members, and Nolitha Fakude in her new role as Vice President of the Minerals Council. The Minerals Council Office Bearers and Board members to play a pivotal role in leading and representing the mining industry. We are honoured to be represented by individuals of high standing with a wealth of experience and expertise as we strive to match our mantra of Making Mining Matter.
“Going forward, as we face a new reality in the face of COVID-19, we remain committed to working with all our stakeholders towards a unified sector and nation.”
Profile of Nolitha Fakude, Vice President of the Minerals Council
Nolitha Fakude
Vice President
Anglo American: Group Director of South Africa
Nolitha Fakude has over 30 years of experience across a diverse range of industry sectors, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, financial services and retail.
Prior to her appointment as group director, she was a Non-Executive director of the Anglo American plc Board. She also holds the position of a Non-Executive Director of the JSE Limited and serves on the Boards of Discovery Bank Holdings and International Woman’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA). She is a Patron of Guild Cottage home for girls.
Nolitha has held senior management positions in corporate affairs, strategy and human resources in the retail and financial sectors. She has also served on various boards including Sasol, Harmony Gold and Woolworths Holdings, among others. Nolitha is a former President of the Black Management Forum (BMF).
Nolitha holds a Bachelor of Arts and an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Fort Hare. She is the author of a book, titled Boardroom Dancing which is a memoir tracking her career journey and role as a corporate activist and inspirational businesswoman with a passion for leadership development especially for women and black people in the workplace.