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As African countries scale up collaboration with international mining companies to meet surging demand for minerals, African Mining Week (AMW) 2025 will provide a strategic platform to highlight the role of global players in advancing the continent's mineral production goals. 

Craig Miller, CEO of Valterra Platinum, and Vinay Somera, CEO of Isondo Precious Metals, will join discussions on South Africa's Strategic Influence in the Global Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) Market, where the country maintains a dominant position, producing over 75% global platinum supplies. Valterra is expanding its operations to meet a refined output target of 3.4 million ounces in 2025, while Isondo is advancing efforts to use locally sourced PGMs in hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing. 

Marna Cloete, President and CEO of Ivanhoe Mines, and Godwin Beene, Country Manager of First Quantum Minerals, are also confirmed to participate on the Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships: Building Resilience in a Consolidating Industry panel discussion. Both companies are pursuing large-scale investments to increase copper production in Zambia, supporting the country's ambition to produce 3 million tons annually by 2031. First Quantum is expanding its Kansanshi and Sentinel operations, and Ivanhoe continues development of its Kamoa-Kakula complex, considered one of the world's most significant copper assets. 

The panel, The Future of Gold: Predicting Prices and Managing Market Volatility, will feature B2Gold Namibia's Country Manager John Ross and Pensana CEO Tim George. B2Gold is currently expanding Namibia's largest gold mine, the Otjikoto Mine, while Pensana is progressing Angola's flagship Longonjo rare earths project, which is expected to supply 5% of the global demand for magnet metals used in electric vehicles and wind turbines. 

Darryll Castle, Director of Operations at TechMet Limited, will be present for discussions around the integration of digital technologies in mining operations. Meanwhile, Emma Townshend, Executive of Corporate Affairs at Implats and Board Member of Women in PGMs, will participate in a session focused on Women Pioneering Leadership in Africa's Mining Industry, with emphasis on promoting sustainability and inclusivity. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

About African Mining Week:
African Mining Week serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference from October 1-3 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

As South Africa marks the beginning of Women's Month this August, WomenIN proudly launches a dedicated, multi-sectoral campaign designed to spotlight the everyday advocacy required to shift the narrative around women's empowerment. While Women's Month may be a moment of national focus, WomenIN champions the belief that true empowerment is not confined to a single month — it's a daily, ongoing commitment to advocacy, collaboration, and change.

This campaign is more than a celebration — it's a call to action, uniting voices across energy, mobility, mining, retail, customer experience, tech, green economy, and beyond. It sets the stage for the highly anticipated WomenIN Festival 2025, taking place in Cape Town on the 13th and 14th of November, under the theme:

LIMITLESS: NO LABELS. NO LIMITS. NO APOLOGIES.

She's not fitting in — she's standing out, showing up, and shaking the world. A celebration of authenticity, boldness, and multidimensional brilliance.

Throughout August and into the months that follow, WomenIN will roll out collaborative activations, workshops, dialogues, and digital campaigns in partnership with leading organizations, changemakers, and grassroots initiatives that are tackling the toughest issues facing women today — from economic inequality to gender-based violence.

“This work is personal. It's not just a campaign, it's our calling,” says Naz Fredericks-Maharaj, Director of the WomenIN Portfolio. “We know that real impact is not created by ticking boxes in August, but by showing up every single day. And yet, during this symbolic month, we rise even higher, because the challenges facing women demand nothing less.”

The WomenIN team, led by a collective of women who themselves have broken barriers across industries, is working tirelessly — often behind the scenes and often against the odds — to bring this movement to life.

“While this journey is often challenging, it's our purpose and passion that fuels us,” adds Naz Fredericks-Maharaj, Director of the WomenIN Portfolio ,  “Every day, we are connecting with organizations, finalizing partnerships, and laying the groundwork for something truly transformative. Our WomenIN Festival will be the heartbeat of this mission — but the build-up is where the real change begins.”

Already, strategic partnerships are being launched and announced. Many of these partners are NPOs and impact-driven organizations actively addressing systemic challenges and building tangible solutions for women across South Africa and the continent. These alliances underscore WomenIN's deep commitment to cross-sectoral collaboration, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

With the stage set for a powerful Women's Month, WomenIN invites all women, male allies, and stakeholders to join the movement — to rise, to speak, to collaborate, and to break through the barriers that remain.

Stay connected, stay inspired, and get ready to stand with us at the WomenIN Festival this November.

Because empowerment isn't a moment. It's a movement.

Whether you've followed us from the beginning or you're only just discovering our work, this is your invitation to join a growing network of changemakers who are louder together, braver together — and better together.

Visit www.WeAreWomenIN.com to get your ticket, sponsor someone else's, or explore partnership opportunities.

Come as you are. Leave ignited.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

Additional Information:
https://apo-opa.co/45aKZ54
https://apo-opa.co/4l9YHv9

Contact the team:
info@wearewomenin.com

About WomenIN (WiN): Empowering Women, Breaking Barriers, Creating Impact:
WomenIN is a powerful cross-sector movement that connects, inspires, and uplifts women across Africa through collaboration, leadership, and sustainable development. From energy and mobility to retail, gaming, and the green economy, WiN is driving real change by building inclusive ecosystems where women can thrive.

Through a range of in-person gatherings, digital content, workshops, and sector-specific initiatives, WomenIN provides a trusted platform for female professionals, entrepreneurs, changemakers, and allies to grow together, break silos, and co-create solutions for Africa's future. With a strong focus on capacity building, leadership development, and market access for female-owned businesses, WomenIN is building a legacy of impact for generations to come.

Whether you're a corporate, NPO, SMME, or individual changemaker, there is space for you at the table—because we win when we WiN together.

For more information, please visit: www.WeAreWomenIN.com.

About VUKA Group:
VUKA Group brings people and organisations together to connect with information and each other in meaningful conversations that drive growth and transformation across Africa's industries. With 20+ years of experience on the continent, the group delivers sector-leading platforms across Energy, Mining, Smart Mobility, Transport, Retail, and Women Empowerment.

The WomenIN (WiN) portfolio is a flagship initiative of VUKA Group, championing gender inclusivity and creating opportunities for women to lead, influence, and innovate across sectors. With a proudly African team and a commitment to sustainable development, VUKA is creating a future where everyone has the opportunity to rise.

Learn more at: www.WeAreWomenIN.com

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Marlene Le Roux has lived with the effects of disability since she was three months old. Now 57, she has spent decades confronting physical, structural, and social barriers.

Resilience is part of her everyday reality, as she manages pain, stays engaged, and keeps going even when her body resists.

Ms Le Roux had spent the day before speaking and dancing to mark South Africa's Freedom Day in Cape Town. By morning, her legs gave in. She was at the physio, acupuncture needles in her thigh to ease the pain.

That pain, she says, is part of the "gift"– a lived experience that gave her the lens to understand the marginalization millions face every day.

“I have a job, that's why I could pay for treatment," she said. "Others with polio? They suffer. They die in their beds.”

Her story begins with polio and builds into a fight fueled by loss, sustained by purpose, and anchored in a refusal to accept exclusion.

She's lived the weight of exclusion twice over. First, as a child disabled by apartheid-era neglect, contracting polio at just three months old, after clinics denied the remaining vaccines to non-white children. And later, as a mother to her son Adam, who had profound cerebral palsy and required constant care. Adam later passed away, a loss that deepened her resolve.

That urgency is also reflected in efforts across the United Nations system. In 2019, the UN launched the Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) to promote accessibility, participation, and accountability in its operations.

By 2023, more than 60 UN entities had adopted action plans under the strategy, and over $77 million had been mobilized to support more than 100 initiatives in 93 countries. Yet implementation remains uneven, with many persons with disabilities still facing barriers even within institutions that champion inclusion.

At the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, where Ms Le Roux is the CEO, accessibility is built into the structure: automated doors, wheelchair seating, level entryways, tactile carpeting, comfort rooms. Staff receive training on both visible and non-apparent disabilities. Every feature is intentional, designed in consultation with those who use them.

“Life here at Artscape is very easy for people with disabilities,” said vocalist Nikita Scott, a wheelchair user. “It feels like a second home. You just feel freer because there are no challenges you have to face as a disabled person.”

Families raising children with disabilities find refuge at Artscape. “They can attend performances and relax in a space that doesn't treat them as an afterthought,” Ms Le Roux said. “Here, no one stares.”

Artscape also supports grassroots groups, including Lief en Leed (Love and Sorrow), a community initiative in Mamre. Its founder, Michael September, who has speech and mobility impairments, said people still assume disability means incapacity.

“Artscape is one of the few places that sees our dignity first,” he said.

Ms Le Roux's leadership style is grounded in presence and humility. It's not uncommon to see her joking with staff or sitting down for tea with the cleaning crew. “No one should be invisible,” she said. “Everyone here matters.”

She helped launch the ArtsAbility Festival, an annual celebration that features performers with disabilities and challenges public perceptions through art and movement. The Unmute Dance Company, a regular participant, blends wheelchairs, crutches, and movement to challenge perceptions.

“Artscape focuses on what people can do, not what they lack,” she said. “When they perform, you see ability. Not disability.”

She sees these lessons as central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the pledge to “leave no one behind.”

“We can't just have things on paper and expect it to work. It has to be in the fiscal budget, in the mindset, in the leadership.”

To her, inclusion isn't a checklist but a cultural shift. She meets regularly with an advisory group of people with disabilities to keep the work grounded in lived experience.

In 2024, she launched Warrior Woman, a petition and art installation to protest gender-based violence. She plans an annual march to parliament with the statue in hand. “We've had enough of talking,” she said.

“Artscape is more than a theatre,” she said, adding that it's a platform to open doors and influence lives.

“I can look glamorous now because I have a job. I can pay for treatment; I can walk into the best orthopaedic surgeon. But what happens to others? They suffer. They die. My job is to open doors for them.”

And she'll keep pressing forward, legs willing or not, until systems do too.

Ms Le Roux's full interview can be watched in this episode of our Sustainable Africa Series

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).