Who we are

Thungela, which means to 'ignite' in isiZulu, has a rich legacy built on mining expertise dating back to 1945. As a global company, we focus on producing and exporting high-quality resources that are essential to creating shared value for all our stakeholders.

Our purpose

To responsibly create value together for a shared future.

We are uncompromising about safety the first consideration in everything we do. We hold ourselves to the highest governance principles by managing our impacts and mining responsibly. Being a responsible miner also means being a responsible neighbour. We mine responsibly to ensure that host communities benefit from the positive impacts we aim to create.

We want others to share in the value we create. From shareholders and employees to host communities, we want all our stakeholders to be better off because of our business.

We cannot do it on our own. That is why we collaborate, engage and build meaningful relationships with all our stakeholders.

The value we create contributes to a brighter future for all of us. By achieving our goals together, we all face a future worth sharing.

Our values
Safety
Safety

We are unconditional about protecting the lives of all our people, at work and at home, in health and wellbeing.

Accountabality
Accountability

We take responsibility for our decisions, actions and performance; to grow in success and learn in failure.

Excellence
Excellence

We are passionate about being the best at what we do; and always seek to raise the bar.

Care & respect
Care & respect

We show humanity to all through our commitment to making a positive impact where we can.

Agility
Agility

We keep things simple and empower our people by enabling them to make quick decisions.

Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship

We have an owner’s mindset because we know that every small change adds to greater impact.

Our strategy

 

Our culture

Our people are the heartbeat of our organisation. Our high-performance culture values excellence, agility and accountability.

Our ambition

To create and deliver value for all our stakeholders.

Our leadership

Our leadership team brings deep local expertise and global experience, with professionals based in South Africa and abroad. This includes a dynamic board and executive team known for their entrepreneurial approach to business. With a strategic focus on growth and diversification, they are committed to steering the company through an evolving global market.

Our logomark embodies the power of unity and is seamlessly woven into our company name. The graphic’s intersecting lines symbolise the connection between the resources below ground, and how people above ground use them to improve and uplift their lives.

Our board members
Executive management committee
Sango Ntsaluba
Independent non-executive chairperson
BCom
BCompt (Hons)
CTA
HDip Tax Law
MCom in Development Finance CA(SA)
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
 Leadership, investment, auditing, operations, taxation, board experience, governance, financial services, transport, logistics, mining, sustainability.

Sango Ntsaluba is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Aurelian Capital, an investment holding company. He co-founded SNG-Grant Thornton, one of South Africa’s leading auditing and accounting firms. Having spent over three decades in leadership positions in operations, investment, and finance, he also has extensive board experience in listed, public sector and unlisted companies in South Africa and abroad. Ntsaluba has a wealth of knowledge and experience in financial services, transport, logistics, mining and food production. From his years of experience and background he brings to the board invaluable experience on governance, analytical analysis, sensitivities to emerging world trends, understanding of social and environmental matters.

Benjamin Kodisang
Independent non-executive director
B.Comm
Hons B.Compt
CA (SA)
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Operations, finance, business development, risk management, investment banking, assets and liabilities, fund management, sustainability, asset and investment property management, and governance.

Benjamin is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of ALT Capital Partners and has over 25 years of investment and business experience across asset classes throughout the African continent. He serves on several boards including Absa Bank Botswana Limited, Vukile Property Fund Limited and Sphere Private Equity. Prior to this, he was chairman of the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) and Wesgro. In addition, Benjamin was CEO of Sanlam Alternatives, a Managing Director of STANLIB Asset Management Ltd and Old Mutual Property.

Kholeka Mzondeki
Independent non-executive director
BCom
FCCA (UK)
Diploma in Investment Management
Certificate in Digital Disruption
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Management, risk management, retail/ consumer, sustainability, IT/ tech/ digital, governance, finance, accounting, strategy, board experience, leadership.

Kholeka, a chartered accountant, has over 20 years’ experience in governance and senior financial management. She has served as Financial Director and Chief Financial Officer in several organisations, including the Fortune 500 company, 3M. In addition, she has served and is serving on several boards and was chairperson of Trudon (Yellow Pages), a subsidiary of Telkom. Kholeka was part of the team that pioneered Trudon’s digital strategy. She has been a finalist in the Nedbank/BWA Businesswoman of the Year Award and has also served as an audit member at the United Nations World Food Programme, on a pro-bono basis.

Seamus French
Independent non-executive director
BEng (Chemical)
Nationality
Irish
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Governance, mining, executive management, leadership, board experience, sustainability and community development.

Seamus recently resigned as Chief Executive Officer-designate and Europe Hub Managing Director of the international engineering and construction company, Laing O’Rourke. Prior to joining Laing O’Rourke, he was Chief Executive Officer of Anglo-American plc’s bulk commodities and other materials division, responsible for the coal, iron ore and nickel businesses.

Yoza Jekwa
Independent non-executive director
MBChB (Medical degree)
MBA (Finance focus) from the University of the Witwatersrand
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Corporate finance, risk management, investment banking, assets and liabilities, fund management, sustainability, health care, infrastructure, impact investing, executive management, leadership, board experience.

Yoza is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Thrive Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on infrastructure and impact investing in South Africa and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this, Yoza was the Chief Executive Officer of Mergence Investment Managers, a mid-sized diversified asset management company with products in the listed and unlisted space with circa R35 billion of Assets Under Management. She also has extensive investment banking experience as an originator and structurer of acquisition financing/ investments for mid to large cap corporates in South Africa, Sub Saharan Africa and Europe, as a dealmaker within Rand Merchant Bank and as a Principal in Acquisition and Leverage Finance at Nedbank. She currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Brait PLC, Broll Property Group and Northam Platinum. She was previously an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairperson of the investment committee at Ascendis Health Ltd.

Thomas McKeith
Independent non-executive director
MBA
GDE (Mining and Mineral Engineering)
BSc
Hons (Geology/Earth Science) from the University of the Witwatersrand
Nationality
Australian
Appointed

Tommy is an experienced chairman, non-executive director and chair/member of board committees, with over 30 years of mining company leadership, corporate development, project development and exploration experience. Having worked in bulk, base and precious metals across numerous jurisdictions, Tommy brings deep and strategic insights to the boards on which he serves, with a strong focus on value creation. Tommy operates at a strategic level to support management in the achievement of sustainable growth and value creation.

July Ndlovu
Chief executive officer, executive director
BSc (Hons) (Eng) (University of Zimbabwe)
MBL (UNISA)
Senior Executive Programme (Columbia Business School)
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Operations, mining, risk management, executive management, assets and liabilities, sustainability, large scale industrial, board experience.

July is an experienced mining executive and has worked in different commodities over the last three decades. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of Anglo American’s coal business and prior to that occupied the position of Executive Head of processing at Anglo American Platinum.

Deon Smith
Chief financial officer, executive director
BCom (Hons)
CA (SA)
CTA
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Strategy, finance, auditing, risk management, investment banking, legal, IT/ tech/ digital, financial services, corporate finance, M&A.

Deon was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Anglo American’s coal business and subsequently assumed responsibility for strategy, business development and finance. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for several finance functions across Anglo American and its divisions over 14 years including corporate finance, capital management, shared accounting services and risk and audit. Deon spent six years with KPMG where he completed his articles and managed a software joint venture.

Mpumi Sithole
Mpumi Sithole
Mpumi Sithole
Executive head of corporate affairs
BA (UNISA)
Hons (Vega)
Nationality
South African

Mpumi previously held the position of head of corporate affairs at the South African coal division of Anglo American plc. Prior to this, she was media and external relations manager at Anglo American Platinum Limited. Before joining Anglo American, Mpumi was head of communications at Sanofi. Mpumi has held leadership positions at various companies and has extensive experience in communications and brand management, reputation management, media relations, stakeholder engagement, socio-economic development and ESG strategic management.

Bernard Dalton
Bernard Dalton
Bernard Dalton
Executive head of marketing
Nationality
South African

Bernard is a seasoned marketing professional with more than 35 years of experience in the mining and metals industries, having spent a number of years with BHP Billiton Aluminium, BHP Energy Coal and South 32. He has worked in Singapore on commodity trading and risk management, is known for his extensive commercial knowledge and is a director at RBCT. In his most recent role as Group Manager Marketing and Sales for South 32, he established the marketing strategy and structure for domestic and export sales across Johannesburg and London.

Leslie Martin
Leslie Martin
Leslie Martin
Executive head of technical
BEng (Stellenbosch University)
Nationality
South African

Leslie is a mechanical engineer, having commenced his career at Anglo American in 1996 as a junior engineer in the coal division. He held various roles, including General Manager and head of the safety and sustainability development department and has experience in underground and opencast mining, process plants, projects and construction. Leslie successfully integrated the operational risk management process into the operating model of the South African coal division of Anglo American.

Carina Venter
Carina Venter
Carina Venter
Executive head of safety, health and environmental
MBA (University of Queensland)
Nationality
South African

Carina has held several management roles in the South African coal operations, having started her career at SasCoal Engineering. She was previously the head of safety and health at the South African coal division of Anglo American plc.

Lesego Mataboge
Lesego Mataboge
Lesego Mataboge
Executive head of human resources
BA
PGDip
Nationality
South African

Lesego has extensive human resources experience within the natural resources sector, having worked at Kumba Iron Ore Limited and ArcelorMittal SA Limited. He was previously head of human resources at the South African coal division of Anglo American plc.

Johan Van Schalkwyk
Johan Van Schalkwyk
Johan Van Schalkwyk
Chief operations officer
BEng (Mining)
Nationality
South African

Johan has held a number of management roles at various collieries of Anglo American’s South African coal operations and was the general manager at the Sishen mine of Kumba Iron Ore Limited, during which these mines achieved prestigious safety, productivity and efficiency awards within the Anglo American Group. He was previously the head of operations and business services of the South African coal division of Anglo American plc.

Deon Smith
Chief financial officer, executive director
BCom (Hons)
CA (SA)
CTA
Nationality
South African
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Strategy, finance, auditing, risk management, investment banking, legal, IT/ tech/ digital, financial services, corporate finance, M&A.

Deon was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Anglo American’s coal business and subsequently assumed responsibility for strategy, business development and finance. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for several finance functions across Anglo American and its divisions over 14 years including corporate finance, capital management, shared accounting services and risk and audit. Deon spent six years with KPMG where he completed his articles and managed a software joint venture.

July Ndlovu
Chief executive officer
BSc (Hons) (Eng) (University of Zimbabwe)
MBL (UNISA)
Senior Executive Programme (Columbia Business School)
Appointed
Skills brought to Thungela
Operations, mining, risk management, executive management, assets and liabilities, sustainability, large scale industrial, board experience.

July is an experienced mining executive and has worked in different commodities over the last three decades. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of Anglo American’s coal business and prior to that occupied the position of Executive Head of processing at Anglo American Platinum.

Black economic empowerment

At Thungela, we strive to ensure inclusive and meaningful participation by people who reflect the country's demographics. For us, building an equitable society is not just a business imperative; it is an ethical responsibility that we take seriously. Our approach to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is one of our priorities for creating value.