Kelello Chabedi is a Mining Engineering lecturer from the University of the Witwatersrand who has benefited from the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) Lecturer Support programme. His journey into the mining and minerals sector began early during a school excursion where his class travelled to Kimberley to visit the Big Hole.
After finishing matric, he was faced with a choice to study either Metallurgical Engineering or Mining Engineering. After a visit to a coal mine, Chabedi was offered a bursary by Anglo American’s Coal Division to study for a BSc degree in Mining Engineering. In a sense the choice to study mining had been made for him.
Chabedi completed his studies in Mining Engineering in 1993, whereafter he proceeded to work in the coal mines in various occupations such as miner, shift boss/face boss, assistant pit superintendent, pit superintendent and finally as a Projects Manager. Whilst working, he obtained blasting tickets for both underground and surface mines, and a Mine Managers Certificate of Competency from the Department of Mineral Resources.
It was due to his endless dedication to further his education, and his quest to improve his skills, that Chabedi was successful in his application for financial assistance, through the MQA’s Lecturer Support programme. The programme has allowed him to develop as an academic and has led to his appointment as a Senior Lecturer at Wits University. He feels it would have been a challenge to change from an industry funded package to a university funded package, had it not been for the MQA.
In addition to his lecturer duties, Chabedi is currently registered for a PhD in Mining Engineering. The continuous commitment to learning allows him to always stay abreast of developments in the mining and minerals sector, and also to consult with the sector as part of a service to both his profession and the sector.
