With people being at the centre of our value system, we take great pride in sharing some of our remarkable women with you. Boldly making a difference in our business with commitment, passion and empathy. Women make our industry and world a better place. Thank you.

Daphne Mhlanga, Cement Plant Manager, Eswatini

“Believe in yourself and your abilities. You are capable of so much more than you think.” These words of wisdom have stood Daphne Mhlanga in good stead over the years in her role as Plant Manager at AfriSam’s Eswatini cement operation. As part of this critical role, she oversees all operational and administrative functions to ensure AfriSam meets the cement requirements of the Kingdom of Eswatini. According to Mhlanga, what has helped her most in her career is being inquisitive. “Although we strive to be experts, we can never truly know everything, therefore asking questions of people from all walks of life has helped build my career.”

Grizelda Du Toit, Project Professional, AfriSam Centre of Product Excellence

Grizelda Du Toit is responsible for cement product development and development of value- added services to AfriSam customers, technical customer support and management of the cement product portfolio. She completed her PhD in 2019 in the activation of hybrid fly ash cement and her PhD dissertation was published in two international scientific journals. During this time, she also authored a chapter in the Fulton’s Concrete Technology, 10th edition handbook. She has also served as an industry supervisor to a fellow female colleague working towards her Master’s Degree in Chemistry. Her words of advice to other women: “Never stop learning, and never stop sharing your knowledge”.

Nivashni Govender, Environmental Specialist

Environmental sustainability is one of the biggest issues faced by mankind at present. Nivashni Govender has the exciting responsibility of applying her knowledge of natural sciences to protect the environment and human health. She ensures that best practicable environmental solutions are implemented to the benefit of both the environment and AfriSam. Govender holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Environmental Sciences and is also a registered Professional Natural Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. She encourages women “to be confident in your role and step outside of the box when needed to make your opinion heard”.

Nomkhosi Mtembu, Works Manager, Verulam Aggregate Quarry

As the Works Manager of AfriSam’s Verulam Aggregate Quarry in KwaZulu-Natal, Nomkhosi Mtembu enjoys transforming the company’s long term goals into a practical operational strategy. According to Mtembu, continuous learning has equipped her to view challenges with an open mind and to utilise all the information gathered to apply real-world solutions. Mtembu offers this word of advice: “Be humble enough to keep learning and seeking after knowledge. Make learning a habit in your life. Success will never lower its standards to accommodate you. You have to raise your standards to achieve it. Rise up to the challenge and conquer fears.”