Grade 12 learner Senzo Mhlanzi conducting particle size distribution (PSD) analysis in the plant.

Umfundi webanga lwe-12 uSenzo Mhlanzi uqhuba ukuhlaziya i-particle size distribution (PSD) efemu.

Opportunities offered to YES learners at ZAC

One of the major challenges facing South Africa is its stubbornly high level of unemployment, particularly among the youth. According to Statistics South Africa, 55.2% or 7.2 million young people are currently unemployed.

In an effort to address the level of unemployment among the young people, President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the Youth Employment Services (YES) programme, an initiative to combat the unemployment crisis and assist the young people in obtaining work experience. The YES initiative is collaborative effort between government, business, labour and civil society.

In the spirit of youth empowerment and skills training, ZAC offers training opportunities to 30 young black South Africans between the ages of 18 – 35 years, who are registered with the YES programme, to join the company for a full year to gain work experience and skills. To date ZAC has invested around R660 000 in supporting the YES programme and will spend about R1.3 million by the end of the current financial year.

All of the YES Students come from the Mlaba, Matheni, Mandlakazi and Zungu traditional communities which are near ZAC. The learners are rotated in various departments of the mine during the year to give them maximum exposure to the entire value chain of mining operations. The aim of this exercise is to ensure that by the end of the year the learners gain a reasonable understanding of what the workplace entails.

One of the departments is ZAC’s processing plant. To date, six YES learners have been given the opportunity to experience the day-to-day operations of the processing plant and its associated work areas over a period of one year.

At the plant the learners are divided into three different groups with two individuals per group, they are then given the experience of the working environment of each of the work areas within the plant for a period of three month, where-after they are rotated to the next area.

The three areas in the plant are broken down as follows:

Yellow Equipment and Dump Operations

This area allows the learners to experience the workings of a ‘Truck & Shovel Operation’ such as front-end loaders (FELs), excavators, articulated dump trucks (ADTs) workings, mobile screen operations and aspects of diesel mechanical engineering and fault finding.

Laboratory

In the laboratory, learners experience the inner workings of a laboratory, such as coal sample taking and preparation, different types of analysis and reporting, and ultimately will gain a better understanding of why there is need for laboratory analysis.

Mechanical and Boilermaker Workshop

In the workshop areas learners are taught the ins and outs of steel fabrication for equipment that is used in the processing plant including, how the plant operates, how to efficiently run and maintain important plant equipment such as pumps, conveyor belt drives bearings, motors, drives and all other processing equipment.

Amathuba anikezwa abafundi be-YES base ZAC

Enye yezinselelo ezinkulu ezibhekene neNingizimu Afrika yilezi zinkani ezingenakukhunjulwa kwemisebenzi, ikakhulukazi phakathi kwentsha. Ngokusho kweStatistics South Africa, inani elingange 55.2% noma 7.2 million yabantu abasha abakasebenzi namanje.

Ngomzamo wokulungisa izinga lokungasebenzi phakathi kwabantu abasha, uMongameli welizwe uCyril Ramaphosa wethule uhlelo lwe-Youth Employment Services (YES), isinyathelo sokulwisana nenkinga yokungasebenzi nokusiza abantu abasha ekutholeni ulwazi lomsebenzi. Isinyathelo se-YES ngumzamo wokubambisana phakathi kukahulumeni, ibhizinisi, abasebenzi kanye nomphakathi.

Ngomoya wokuthuthukisa amandla entsha nokuqeqeshwa kwamakhono, iZAC inikeza amathuba okuqeqesha abantu abasha abamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika abaneminyaka engu-18 kuya ku-35, ababhalisiwe ne-YES program, ukujoyina inkampani unyaka ophelele ukuze bathole ulwazi lomsebenzi namakhono. Kuze kube yimanje, iZAC isifake imali engange R660 000 ekuxhaseni uhlelo lwe-YES njalo ikhangelele ukusebebzisa imali engange R1.3 million kusiyaphela unyaka wezimali.

Bonke abafundi be-YES bavela emiphakathini yendabuko yaseMlaba, kwaMatheni, kwaMandlakazi nakwaZungu okuyiwona aseduze neZAC. Abafundi bajikelezwa eminyangweni ehlukahlukene yemayini phakathi nonyaka ukuze banikeze ukuvezwa okukhulu kulo lonke uhla lwamanani okusebenza kwemayini. Inhloso yalo msebenzi ukuqinisekisa ukuthi ekupheleni konyaka abafundi bazuza ukuqonda okunengqondo ngalokho kusebenza khona emayini ngokuphelele.

Omunye weminyango yindawo yokucubungula (processing plant) yaseZAC. Kuze kube manje, abafundi abayisithupha be-YES banikezwe ithuba lokuzwa imisebenzi yansuku zonke yesitshalo sokucubungula kanye nezindawo zokusebenza, zomsebenzi phakathi nonyaka owodwa.

Esigodini abafundi bahlukaniswe ngamaqembu amathathu ahlukene okuyikuyikuthi kunabantu ababili ngeqembu, banikezwa isipiliyoni semvelo yokusebenza yendawo ngayinye yomsebenzi ngaphakathi kwesitshalo isikhathi sezinyanga ezintathu, lapho-emva kokuba bajikeleze ukuze endaweni elandelayo.

Izindawo ezintathu ezitshalweni zidilizwa kanje:

Yellow Equipment and Dump Operations

Lapha abafundi bafundiswa ngokusebenza kwamaloli, ukukhiwa kokumbiwayo ngogandaganda, imishini yokugumba, amaloli okuthutha, imishini okubhekwa ngayo umsebenzi, ezobunjiniyela bamakhemikhali kadizili nokuthi inkinga, noma ingozi, ibonakala kanjani.

Igumbi lokucwaninga izinto

Kulapha lapho abafundi eaqeqeshwa ngokusebenza kwegumbi lokuxilonga amakhemikhali njengokuhlolwa kwamalahle, ukuhluzwa kwawo, izindlela ezehlukene zokuhlola nokubhala imibiko. Uma sebephothulile ukufunda, basuke sebeqonda kahle ukuthi kungani kubalulekile ukuhlolwa komkhiqizo egumbini lokucwaninga izinto.

Ishabhu lomakhenikha no-boilermaker

Lapha abafundi bafundiswa yonke into ngokusebenza ngokusansimbi, ukushiselwa kwemishini okusetshenzwa ngayo efemini, ukusebenza kwefemu yonke nokuthi isetshenziswa futhi inakekelwa kanjani imishini yefemu efana nezifutho, imishini okuthuthwa imikhiqizo ngayo, izimoto nezinye izinhlobo zemishini ekhona.

Grade 12 learner Velile Dlamini ensuring that coal quality is within specification, which is crucial to the coal supply process.

Umfundi webanga lwe-12 uVelile Dlamini uqinisekisa ukuthi izinga lamalahle lisesimweni esifanele, ngenye yezinto ezimqoka ekudayisweni kwawo.