Meet Senzeni Mandava, Datamine Africa – Snowden Optiro, Principal Resource Geologist. What most people don’t know about Senz, she sings in her local church choir, love sight seeing and travelling. Senzeni join our Datamine Africa family in November 2021. Get to know Senz a little better through the interview below:
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am passionate about my work, ambitious and results driven. I have a steady source of motivation that drives me to do my best because I love the kind of work that I do.
What is it like to work at Datamine?
It’s a great vibey working environment with super friendly colleagues where I get to work with a suite range of geological and mining software packages. I also get to travel a lot when consulting and get to experience new countries, new people and cultures which is exciting.
What inspired your career in this industry?
High compensation 🙂 Opportunities to travel to different countries, work in a variety of environments as the industry is diverse and always evolving. There are also lots of growth and training opportunities.
What are some of the challenges you help your clients navigate during consulting sessions?
/ What are some of the challenges in your role?
Resource Geology can often be perceived as an expensive inconvenience adding unnecessary delays and costs to a mining project, particularly in its sensitive early days but yet in reality it is a critical component of any project helping to assess risk and provide technical detail necessary to evaluate a deposit’s potential.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your role / the work you do?
As a Resource Geologist, I can confidently bridge the divide between the Exploration Geologist obtaining data in the field, and the Mining Engineer awaiting an accurate interpretation of the deposit. And also use reporting codes and mineral classifications to appropriately quantify risks and help improve technical understanding to shareholders and/or investors,
What are your best memories from your career?
When I worked for a diamond mining company and was diamond handler/sorter and valuator. I worked with all kinds of diamonds everyday.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I am a gym junkie. I work out at least 4 times a week and jog at least 5km everyday except on Sunday.
