Josette Kromowirono, soon to be 61, mother of 4, grandmother 9 times over, a woman who has made her mark through life as an employee of the SMSP Group and then later of NMC. She is retiring after 35 years of service.
She has seen the SMSP’s history and NMC unfold in front of her eyes.
“I joined in 1989 as a secretary at the age of 25 and we were then 60 members of staff. I then became head bookkeeper, where I was in charge of recruitment, dismissals, timekeeping, etc.”
Her eyes gazing into the distance, Josette remembers, measuring her words at the same time, recalling those 35 years, both rich and difficult, but with no regrets.
At the age of 25, with a High School Certificate with Administrative Major (Baccalauréat G1) in her pocket, she started working part-time at the Ouaco Post Office as secretary. She explains that there weren’t many people in Ouaco at the time, so when the SMSP’s Chief Accountant went off sick, they came looking for her to take over the position. She was recruited on a short fixed-term contract. Initially, she kept her part-time job at La Poste, where she was assured of stability, and worked for NMC beside. One thing led to another, she was offered the chance to stay with SMSP, and after 9 months was finally offered a permanent contract. That was it, she became part of the SMSP Family.
From then on, Josette learned everything ‘on the spot’. “I remember how hard it was to learn about to treat overtime compensation, pay scales and so on. I had a High School Certificate, a basic qualification, so I had to learn about everything’.
She remembers she was in charge of the SMSP workforce at the time, while Coco Peyrolles, who departed in 2023, was in charge of the drivers. She spent sleepless nights learning, examining account books to familiarise herself and carry out her duties to the best of her ability. She was also a trainer, as she trained the secretaries at Poum and Ouaco.
At the same time, Josette was also in-charge of staff management of SMSP and CMC (Compagnie Maritime et de Challandage), now known as Cotransmine.
The group has a genuinely rich history, and Josette was one of its privileged witnesses. As she recalls, she confides with emotion that the crash of the SMSP helicopter in 2000, is undoubtedly one of the events that will have marked her for life.
She explains, ‘The weather was overcast that day. And all afternoon I received calls asking me if the helicopter had arrived? Did anyone in Ouaco know where the helicopter was located? It was not until the following day that they heard the tragic news of the disappearance of part of the members of SMSP’s Management Team, including the then SMSP Chairman. She knew them all. ‘It was horrible’.
To those who come later, Josette is keen to share her thoughts, and reminds us that mining is a sector that fluctuates, with ups and downs. There used to be Japanese and Australians, now it’s the Chinese and Koreans. And that’s something everyone needs to be aware of. You have to work with perseverance and professionalism when things go well, and you have to be grateful. It’s not a certain. Everything can fall from one day to the next, sometimes you get back up, sometimes you don’t.
‘We’re surrounded by competitors and even if we have a rich territory, we’re not the only ones. We have to be aware that this is a very uncertain sector. You have to be efficient, determined and committed at all times’.
There’s another point that bothers and worries her: she remembers saying, ‘Before, the company was ours, the company’s good results were also our good results, we felt concerned and united’.
Today, it seems to her that the new arrival staff come more often for the salary than anything else, with no other motivation. They don’t feel concerned by the end result, or by the company. There’s no real cohesion. ‘If the mine works, so much the better, but if it doesn’t, well, too bad.
Josette proudly hung up her apron on 31 January, but admits she didn’t really realise it at the time. With depth and nostalgia, it seems, she explains that there are no more ‘Mondays’ when that’s it! back to work! After a week, she realised, and admits thoughtfully, ‘I was a bit lost’. From one day to the next, she had no goals, no reason to get up – it was overwhelming.
‘The worst thing is that I’m always looking for things to do, fortunately I’ve been looking after my grandchildren.
The compass is completely out of alignment (laughs!!).
But Josette is not a woman who wallows in boredom. She has lots of ideas, and always laughing, she says that the trick is to choose one.
Especially as she has a takeaway and dressmaking licence. She’s struggling to reactivate it, for example. What’s more, she has always been active in community life in addition to her duties with the SMSP and then the NMC. She was a member of parents’ associations at the time of her younger brothers and sisters, then for her children and now for her grandchildren.
She has set up associations. Notably for the PHOK Association (Historical Heritage of Ouaco and Kaala Gomen), which she co-founded alongside Gaston JIZDNY. ‘Our love and respect for the village of Ouaco united us in this initiative. In its day, this historic site represented a flagship vision of the Northern economy, just as the NMC embodies today for the Northern Province. Josette is currently President, having joined the organisation in 2009 alongside Gaston JIZDNY, founder and former President, a Ouaco leading dignatory.
As she says: ‘There’s no shortage of ideas, we just need to readjust our compass’.
One thing’s for sure, in Ouaco or Voh, she’ll be active right to the end.