“Your background doesn’t define your future. It’s up to you. You must empower yourself” — Dr Judy Dlamini

Radifadi Mamabolo

Category

Mining & Manufacturing
 

Organisation / Company

Ivanhoe Kamoa Mines

 

Position

Senior strata control officer

 

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Profile

Radifadi Mamabolo is a seasoned rock engineering specialist – his work is essential to the mining industry. He designs excavation methods and stability systems that ensure safety underground and on the surface. His work integrates artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring to mitigate geotechnical risks. His expertise helped develop a sinkhole detection and rehabilitation model, used in the Northern Cape and endorsed by the department of mineral resources and energy. And he has presented his research globally. Radifadi’s election as treasurer of the Northern Cape branch of the South African Institute of Rock  Engineering reflects both technical credibility and peer recognition. Beyond engineering, Radifadi is a community builder. He founded  Pontsho Ya Lesedi, a nonprofit supporting vulnerable households and youth, and co-founded the Sanitary Towels & Deodorants Campaign, reaching schools across South Africa. Through his Chef Radi’s Cookout initiative, he uses food to foster cultural pride and fund essential donations. The rock engineer’s recipes have been published in international cookbooks.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science honours in Geology and Chemistry, University of Limpopo 
  • Course in Advanced Mechanics of Solids, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Strata control certificate, Minerals Council South Africa
  • Rock mechanics exam papers – P1, P2 and P3.4, Minerals Council South Africa
  • Diploma in slope stability in soils and rocks, International Geotechnical Center (Peru) – (*in progress – two months remaining)