Harmony Gold Mining, African Rainbow Minerals Investment (Armi) and Avmin have agreed on a deal that will make Avmin South Africa’s largest diversified and empowered mineral resources company.
Announcing this in Johannesburg on Thursday, Avmin chairperson Rick Menell said the deal fulfilled his long-stated objective of establishing Avmin as an empowerment company with a strong financial base.
On Wednesday, a day before the deal was announced, a total of 6,5-million Avgold shares changed hands and pushed the price up by 9,2% — to R10,65.
This is an unusually high volume for a stock that on two previous days had traded 164 000 and 49 000 shares respectively. A trader suggested that ”someone knew something” about the deal and bought shares in the hope that the price would rise when the deal was announced.
Immediately after the announcement the Avmin share price fell to R10,20. This is because the final step of the deal, if approved, involves an offer to Avmin minorities of one Harmony share for 10 Avmin shares.
The deal starts with Harmony acquiring Avmin’s 42% stake in Avgold. Avmin will then acquire Armi’s 13,6% stake in Harmony, to bring the stake to 22,2%. It will further acquire Armi’s 50% stake in the Modikwa platinum mine in the North West. Avmin will now be 43,1% owned by Armi, with Patrice Motsepe becoming chairman and Menell his deputy.
The deal adds the Target mine in the Free State to Harmony’s strong portfolio in the province. It also gives Motsepe’s outfit exposure to ferrous metals.
Additional reporting by I-Net Bridge