Meet Ripfumelo – He joined the Open Pit Planning team in May 2019. He is now a MineScape consultant and braai master. Get to know him a little better through the interview below:
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am Mining Engineer with about 3 years’ experience in various software solutions. Born and raised in South Africa, in the beautiful province of Limpopo. I completed my Mining Engineering degree with University of Witwatersrand and further my studies with Wits Business School and completed Master of Management in Finance and Investment specialising in Financial Engineering. A young Mining Engineer who is known for being a detail-oriented, well-organized team player, creative and a problem solver. I never miss deadlines; I’m a good communicator and I can juggle multiple tasks at once.
What is it like to work at Datamine?
A new day means a new challenge. I am usually glued to my screen looking at a new issue or dataset that I need to understand in order to assist our clients. Working with different clients means multiple challenges in a day. I would summarize working at Datamine as challenging, ‘out of the box’ thinking, and so much learning just in a single day.
What inspired your career in this industry?
To be honest, Mining Engineering chose me, I did not, after a while I started to like it. I ended up realizing that in consulting, that is where I belong and get to use my knowledge and intelligence to help solve mining related problems.
What are some of the challenges you help your clients navigate during consulting sessions?
/ What are some of the challenges in your role?
The most challenging aspect of my role is when a client “ghosts you” while you are trying to help them. This is very frustrating on my end, while you are stuck there not knowing if the client is sorted or need further assistance. To fix this I usually contact his/her colleagues to find out if he/she is okay or something came up on her/his end. This works 90% of the times and allow me to be at ease.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your role / the work you do?
The most satisfying aspect of my role is working on different projects and new problems every day. I find this more interesting and allow me to use my knowledge acquired over the years to solve different problems than working on the same problem for months at a time.
What are your best memories from your career?
The best memories from my career was the first time I went underground, trust me I was scared, but that was the best memory I experienced. At Datamine, my best memory was to complete my first project all by myself, of course with the help of my awesome team. Another one that I almost forgot, was to get to work with MineScape developers to make sure the software is the best in the market.
Tell us a fun fact about you?
I can say me and braaiing are inseparable. I enjoy being the man behind the braai stand, while I serve the best meat at family gatherings or any events, I find myself to be in. If you want the best braai master, hit me up and will show you how is done.
Connect with Ripfumelo on LinkedIn here. For more information or to connect with our team, make sure to send us an enquiry.
