Executive Management

Mr. Edwin T. Elias is the Chief Executive Officer of Morupule Coal Mine. He has a wealth of experience spanning at least 20 years in the diamond mining industry of which he has served 13 years in the Executive Management of Debswana Diamond Company and the De Beers Group.

Before joining MCM, Mr. Elias was the Group Head of Ore Processing/Metallurgy at Debswana Diamond Company where he previously held various executive roles as Senior Manager – Ore Processing (Jwaneng Mine); Head of Maintenance and Process (De Beers Canada – Victor Mine); Senior Manager – Ore Processing (Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines).

Mr. Elias is the Board Chairman of the Botswana Institute for Technology, Research and Innovation (BITRI). He also serves on the De Beers Technologies (DebTech) Technical Committee as a Debswana representative and as a Board member at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST).

In addition to the experience he has amassed over the years, Mr Elias is a distinguished member of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), and the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA).

Mr Elias holds an Executive Masters Degree in Business Administration (EMBA) from the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management, Canada; a Bachelor of Science (Bsc.) – Metallurgical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA and Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) Certification from the London Business School, UK.

Adriaan joined Morupule Coal Mine in August 2023 as Chief Operations Officer (COO). Adriaan holds a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the university of Pretoria and a Mine Manager Certificate of Competency (Coal Mines) from the Department of Minerals and Energy South Africa. He has also completed a Management Development Programme (MDP, Business Leadership) with UNISA.

Adriaan brings more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry, including a stint as Chief Operations Officer at ArcelorMittal Steel in Liberia from 2021 - 2023, Executive Head of Projects & Operations at Lurco Coal in 2020, Principal Mining Engineer at Ukwazi Mining Solutions from 2017 - 2019 and Head of Projects at Total Coal from 2012 - 2016.

He is coming on board to provide support to the Chief Executive Officer in the direction and control of MCM’s operations, with specific focus on coordinating and integrating all core operational functions, i.e., Engineering, Processing, Mining and Technical Services to achieve business targets safely, cost effectively, with good controls, and through motivated teams. The COO plays a fundamental role in MCM’s market agility and alignment, through cross functional collaboration to develop production plans that meet product volume and quality requirements.

Albert Meiring joined Morupule Coal Mine in July 2021 as Marketing Manager and is currently acting as Head of Sales, Marketing & Logisitics. 

He is an experienced individual with a demonstrated history of working in the mining & metals industry both in operational and marketing and logistics portfolios. He travelled extensively for the majors that employed him for international assignments in the UK, Europe, Singapore, Japan, China and Australia. Albert brings to the role a wealth of skills in negotiation, business planning, operations management, marketing & sales, logistics, international trade, new business development, financing and strategy. A strong management professional graduated from De Montfort University (MBA) and University of Pretoria (B Eng) with various leadership and business management courses attained over the years.

Jonathan Nhovo (BAcc, ACMA, CGMA, MBA) joined Morupule Coal Mine in January 2011 as a Finance Manager and was promoted to the position of Commercial Manager in 2016.

Prior to joining MCM he was employed as Management Accountant by Debswana. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Accountancy Honors degree obtained from the University of Zimbabwe and an MBA in International Finance from the Oxford Brookes University. He has over 24 years as a qualified chartered management accountant with experience in various sectors including hospitality and Mining.

Tom Mongale joined MCM in January 2014 as Human Resources Manager on secondment from Debswana.

Tom holds a BA in Accounting and Public Administration from University of Botswana and MSc Strategic Management from University of Derbyshire, England. He also has a Certificate Programme in Industrial Relations from Wits University, South Africa. He has 20 years of experience in Human Resources Management.

Ernest Kelapile joined Morupule Coal Mine in April 2018 and is currently the Head of Internal Audit since 2023. He is a Chartered Accountant with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Ernest graduated from the University of Botswana (UB) with a Bachelor of Accountancy (BAcc) Degree. He also holds the designations of Associate Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Over and above being an Associate Certified Professional Accountant (ACPA) with the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA), Ernest is also an alumnus of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) where he graduated with Management Development Programme (MDP). He is also a member of both the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA).

He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Botswana Trade Commission (BOTC) (a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade & Industry in the Government of the Republic of Botswana) as the Deputy Board Chairman and a Member of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FAC). He is also a member of the Risk and Audit Committee of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) Council.  

Keneilwe Goitsemang Orapeleng is currently the Head of Mining. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Mining Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA, she joined MCM in 2008 as a graduate trainee where she served in respective positions at various levels. She is an experienced individual with a demonstrated history of establishing and leading a skilled workforce in the mining industry both in the production and technical functions.

Keneilwe has undergone the Management Development Program with University of Stellenbosch

With a solid 13 years of industry experience, Keneilwe is the first female to attain an underground blasting license in Botswana. A woman of many firsts, Keneilwe has paved a way for fellow female mining engineers through the years. She has been appointed as the first female in various roles throughout her career in MCM (Underground Coal mine environment), including that of section miner, shift overseer, mine overseer, and underground manager – all responsible for underground.

Tshepang Motimedi is currently the Head of Engineering at MCM since 2023. Motimedi joined MCM in 2007 as a Learner Official under the Engineer Development Program. He holds a BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering from the University of Leeds. Tshephang has also undergone the Management Development Program (MDP) with University of Stellenbosch.

He rose through the ranks in the engineering field until he was appointed Maintenance Engineer – Underground before joining Botswana Ash 2014 as Plant Engineer. Motimedi rejoined the MCM family in 2016 as Maintenance Engineer – Underground and would later join Debswana Jwaneng Mine as Maintenance Engineer - before retracing his footsteps to MCM as Motheo Open Cast Project Engineer in 2019. Tshephang is also a Member of the Botswana Institution of Engineers and a Member of the American Society of Mechnical Engineers (ASME)

Lefika was appointed as a Senior Project Manager in June 2021 where he is responsible managing and delivering the development of the open cast coal mine, coal processing plant and associated Infrastructure (Motheo Project). He is also responsible establishing a Maiden Project Management Office that will govern and support Project Development and Delivery across the mine.

Prior to that, he was a Project Manager and Project Controls Manager within MCM since 2016. He has also held various consulting project management roles in Debswana Diamond Company.

He has significant expertise and experience in areas of corporate strategy, brownfields and greenfield capital projects, feasibility studies, project evaluations, risk management and decision support.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Electrical from Multimedia University in Malaysia, a Post Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management from Botswana Accountancy College in Botswana, Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice from Chartered Management Institute in United Kingdom and an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Sheffield Hallam University in United Kingdom). He has also completed the Management Development Programme (MDP, Business Leadership) with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

Lefika is also certified as a Prince2 Registered Practitioner in Project Management with Axelos in the United Kingdom and is also Registered as a Practicing Engineer with Botswana Engineering Registration Board (ERB) and Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) respectively.

Nelson Nareetsile joined Morupule Coal Mine as the Head of Beneficiation on the1st October 2023. A results-oriented professional engineer, Nelson brings a wealth of experience with over 18 years of experience spanning across diamond processing and petroleum industries.

Nelson began his career with Debswana as a process engineer and progressed through different roles of increasing responsibility up to the most recent executive role of Senior Manager Ore Processing at Orapa. Nelson has also worked BP Botswana as Site and Operations Manager and Puma Energy Botswana as Country Manager for Mining and Lubricants business segment.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Mineral Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering Project Management, both obtained from the University of Leeds. He has also completed a management development programmes from the University of Stellenbosch and University of Cape Town. Nelson is registered Professional Engineer with the Engineering Registration Board of Botswana.

Patricia Aleta Nkuna joined Morupule Coal Mine in October 2024 as Head of Safety & Sustainability.

Patricia brings an impressive 23 years of experience across the Government, Water, Manufacturing, and Mining industries. She began her professional career with Johannesburg City Council as an Environmental Health Practitioner, and further to Group Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Coordinator position at Harsco Metals South Africa (Arcelor Mittal Works) and Rand Water Head Office respectively. She steadily rose through various leadership roles in the field Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Systems (HSEQ) at Petra Diamonds in South Africa, where she held the position of Chief Safety Officer: Finsch Diamond Mine, HSEQ Manager: Koffiefontein Diamond Mine, culminating in her most recent position at Petra Group as Head of Safety, Health, and Quality Systems.

In her new role, Patricia will spearhead the development, implementation, and management of our safety, health, and sustainability strategies, policies, and procedures. Her responsibilities include assessing the company's current and future environmental impact, driving sustainable practices, and leading the creation of our decarbonisation strategy and roadmap. She will also be responsible for setting business standards and targets, monitoring performance and providing operational leadership.

Patricia’s academic background is equally impressive, holding a Bachelor of Environmental Health from the University of Johannesburg and a Bachelor of Safety Management from the University of South Africa and has successfully completed several training and certification programmes related to HSEQ Management and Mining; Total Quality Management, Mining Qualification Authority: Competent A & B (Hard rock:), Chamber of mines: Mine Environmental Control (Practical Ventilation), etc.