Elizabeth Nerwande
Elizabeth Nerwande (born in October 1967) is the Corporate Affairs Executive for Mimosa Mining Company in Zimbabwe. She has been president of Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines from 2019 to May 2021 ([1]).
She has worked as Executive Director of the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe from 1999 to 2003 and also as CEO for Zimtrade from 2004 to 2006. She was subsequently appointed Commissionner General of Aichi Japan Expo after her tenure at Zimtrade. Elizabeth Nerwande is an entrepreneur in Personal/Corporate image branding.
Quotes
[edit]- “Let us position ourselves strategically where our strengths lie along the value chain and we will be sure to reap the benefits of our endeavours."
- [2] Elizabeth Nerwande speaking during Women in Mining Conference on the sidelines of the Mine Entra expo in Bulawayo in 2019.
- "The Chamber in the due course must operate an up-to-date resource centre that elimmintaes the "black box" mentality where information becomes available after a crash, adding that members should be able to access information at the click of a button. Focus in most advanced economies has thus been on ensuring availability of quality information that is relevant to its users."
- [3] Elizabeth Nerwande speaks on prioritizing the upgrade of the Chamber’s resource centre in 2020 June, 15.
- "Remember, the most meaningful victory we win is over ourselves. Above all be disciplined. Be focused. Be committed and take responsibility."
- [4] The Sunday Mail September 2021
- A fact is that in mining, men have been the most dominant. But when it comes to competence from both sides (male and female), there must be a de-emphasis on gender and an increased weighting on competence. It must be understood that in some cases what men can do women can also do. Fortunately, in my career within the mining industry, I have also been given the honour to lead the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe, as president, an honour that was given to me as a woman for the first time
- I believe there is a need for a deliberate policy to ensure that there is a greater representation of women in mining but that must not be at the expense of competence which also means that even men within the mining sector must come to an understanding that women too are equally good. For instance, at Mimosa, we now have female geologists, female metallurgists, and female surveyors. So sometimes it’s about how you move out from stereotypes. It is important to have essential guiding principles. In all one does, stay diligent, stay accountable and alert to your surroundings. Opportunity favours the prepared mind. Your future is hidden in your daily routine
- Working in an industry that is mostly dominated by men has its own challenges. I realised I needed to make certain adjustments. I had to work on managing all the dynamics of gaining entry and acceptance into the big boys’ club. The pressure was real and sometimes the fear of failure could be all-consuming
- In the end, however, I realised that we are not meant to compete with our male counterparts but complement each other. The workplace does not need more women trying to be men, it just needs more women. It is undeniable that women generally bring a humane feel to work, a feeling which cannot be underestimated in ensuring psychosocial well-being in the workplace and a value that has an immeasurable impact on long-term sustainability
- As in any profession, your competence must speak for itself. De-emphasise gender, and over-emphasise competence, capability, result and productivity. Let not people see you as a woman but as a competent professional. One of my guiding principles is to learn as much as possible as you go along with every position. Value the process of learning rather than being the best. You need to intentionally plan your growth – you cannot meaningfully be part of what you are not fully knowledgeable about. I can safely say I am now a miner – in between I have been doing short courses on mining to arm myself. Zimbabwe School of Mines has very good courses. Success leaves clues. Find mentors and role models who have already achieved what you want to achieve
- It’s not about women, it’s about the industry that accepts women as co-part of the industry. The focus must be on understanding that women can do it too in the industry. De-emphasise competency either way. We must move away from strait jacketing women and say simply because we are women therefore our competence must be put to us to say somehow your gender defines your competency. No, we are humans. So, competence must be understood by both sets of gender
Quotes about Elizabeth Nerwande
[edit]- Elizabeth has been a champion in community development by mining companies and this saw Mimosa transforming the face of Zvishavane through various community projects and empowerment projects. As part of that vision Mimosa has one of the best football clubs in Zimbabwe, FC Platnum.
- "Ms Liz" as she is popularly known takes mentoring other women seriously."I am a living testimony of Liz's mentorship - you cannot be around her and remain the same.
- In one of her interviews she made the point that women have really never clamoured for special treatment in the workplace but rather for recognition for their strengths and expertise.
- Ms Nerwande, for instance, demonstrated her dynamism by ascending to the top echelons of both the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe(CoMZ) and Mimosa Mining Company – where she is the Head of Corporate Affairs – despite the fact that she didn’t have the technical background when she switched to mining a few years ago, she had learnt quite a lot about the extractive sector while consulting for some of the country’s leading mining houses.
She has since transformed herself into an expert of note in mining matters. “The Iron Lady of mining”, has also passionately worked towards the economic prosperity of all Zimbabweans, regardless of their gender, while also uplifting women who are still burdened by the disproportionate costs of mining, through various corporate social responsibility initiatives. - Masvingo Mirror, Breaking the glass ceilingː the case of Liz Nerwande. 21 March 2021.