Homeownership and accommodation among mineworkers, historically sensitive and controversial, has often resulted in opposing parties locking horns and paralysing production. New South African legislation requires holders of mining rights to assist their employees in facilitating home ownership. A good idea in principle, this has proven remarkably complex in practice.
In 2017, Assmang established the iKhaya Working Committee, a formal platform mandated to collaboratively find a solution to the housing challenge at Assmang. The committee consisted of the three trade unions represented at the mine: Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) , National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Solidariteit, Assmang senior management and representatives from Assmang’s major shareholder, African Rainbow Minerals. Working with this diverse team of stakeholders, Zutari’s multi-disciplinary project team would create an opportunity for every Assmang employee to become a homeowner through an inclusive, sustainable, and fair new housing policy.
To unravel the complexity of the problem, Zutari applied practical tools from the fields of Design Thinking, Systems Thinking and Lean Thinking. This dynamic solution-finding process is known at Zutari as the Impact Framework and guides a human-centred, solutions-focused approach to solving complex problems.
The first step was to properly contextualise the problem. To co-create a solution that would satisfy mineworkers and mine owners, the problem had to be understood from multiple perspectives. There was a lot of listening to do; a lot of authentic dialogue to be facilitated. Using a combination of research approaches, Zutari successfully engaged an unprecedented number of stakeholders. These engagements built the trust and empathy needed to collaborate productively, and developed a nuanced understanding of stakeholders needs, hopes, and fears. Engagements included site visits by senior company representatives and the Assmang CEO, a survey that was completed by an impressive 77% of staff and in-depth focus groups and workshops with employee representatives and trade unions.