PROFILE Inayo Mining
PROFILE Inayo Mining Working together for client satisfaction. Inayo Mining is a resource-division company which was formed as a result of a successful joint venture partnership between Inala Mining Services and Ayona Mining. The company operates in the mining industry and provides an array of services including open-cast mining, mine rehabilitation, extra-large mining plant hire, component refurbishment, mining equipment and repairs. Current operations are based in the coal fields of Emalahleni with plans to extend beyond this basin in the near future. These expansion plans are consistent with the strategic intent of Inayo Mining to grow its geographical footprint throughout South Africa. Inayo Mining qualifies as an SMME and with its unique model of cooperation and working together, the company is able to merge the capacity of the various partners to deliver value to clients. Directors Both directors of the company have considerable experience in the mining sector. Thando Maseko is an experienced Mining Engineer and holds a BSc (Hons) Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand. Gideon van Heerden has been a contract miner for more than two decades and he has a Higher Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria. Services Open-cast mining This method of mining does not use tunnels or deep shafts dug into the earth to extract minerals. Rather it is a surface technique that extracts ore from an open pit. Mining rehabilitation If a mine reaches the end of its useful life for mineral extraction, a number of environmental or safety hazards may need to be dealt with. Mining rehabilitation is then undertaken. It can take several forms, including water treatment, demolition of infrastructure and re-vegetation. It can also happen during mining operations or as a technique to bring a mine back to life after it has lain dormant for some time. Extra-large mining plant hire Component refurbishment Mining equipment and repairs. Clients Inayo Mining has established a strong relationship based on good service over the years with companies such as: • Thungela Resources • Glencore • The Puckree Group • Universal Coal Established: 2017 | Rating: Level 2 BBBEE rated company, with 51% black-woman ownership. Contact Plot 26, Naauwport, Benicon Park, R544, Emalahleni 1035 Tel: +27 13 590 6884 | Fax: +27 86 543 7751 | Email: admin@inayo.co.za Website: https://inayo.co.za 30 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
High standards, transformation and upliftment are the bedrocks of Inayo Mining Strategic partnerships are the key to success, says co-founder and director Thando Maseko, as this growing mining company eyes expansion into Africa. INTERVIEW When was the company founded? Inayo Mining was founded in October 2017. What was the motivation behind starting the company? What inspired you? As a professional mining engineer, I identified a gap in professional black individuals participating in the industry. BBBEE was seen as a policy benefitting a few black elite individuals and those who are politically connected. This resulted in transformation in the industry being seen as failure, as BBBEE was not producing black professionals who could participate meaningfully in the industry and most importantly, uplift black communities who had been marginalised from business opportunities in the industry. This motivated me, a young, black, female mining engineer, to take the opportunities presented by the policies of this country and create a truly transformed company which can operate to high business standards while uplifting those who had been marginalised before democracy. How important have partnerships been in your business journey? Inayo Mining has been built through partnerships. Leveraging on the strengths of different partners has been the foundation of the business. Through strategic partnerships with Sandton Plant Hire and Inala Mining among others, Inayo Mining has managed to secure contracts and successfully execute these contracts. This has grown the company to a position where it can buy assets and build in-house capacity in areas where the company lacked skills during its inception phase. Are there any women mentors who have assisted you along the way? Due to the nature of the industry most of my mentors have been male but a female mentor who has been instrumental in my entrepreneurship journey is Mrs Sindi Mabaso Koyana. What are some of the particular obstacles that women face in the mining industry? Obstacles faced by women in the mining industry are not unique to problems faced by women in other industries. From a senior leadership perspective, the patriarchal nature of our society is mirrored in the industry. This often means women are seen but not heard. At the industry’s entry level, harsh physical conditions in the workplace mean that women are subject to physical work which is often extreme for the female physique, making it difficult to perform at high levels. What are the major services you provide? We provide a turnkey mining solution from topsoil stripping through to rehabilitation. Our other services include material handling and plant hire. Which of these divisions is showing the best growth? We have achieved high growth in contract mining, which is our core business. This in turn has led to other services growing, such as material handling and plant hire. Thando Maseko, co-founder and director, Inayo Mining Who are some of your biggest clients? Our biggest clients include Thungela Resources, Universal Coal, Glencore and the Puckree Group. Do you have ambitions to grow your geographical footprint? Inayo has ambitions to grow its footprint, firstly with regard to working with a different commodity other than coal. We aim to expand from Mpumalanga in the course of 2023 and move into the African continent as mining still remains the backbone of most African economies. The Inayo Mining website refers to a “unique model in the mining industry” – please tell us more about that. Inayo considers itself unique as it has built up a company by adopting a principle which is similar to the likes of Airbnb and Uber. We have grown a successful company through leveraging of assets and resources from our strategic partners. This has minimised the risk we face as company during economic turmoil such as the world experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. We continually evolve our business model to ensure the business remains sustainable while ensuring our social partners benefit from our existence, making mining a beneficial venture for all stakeholders.
