The Gold Fields mining company painted a grim picture on Thursday of the financial state of rival Harmony, whose hostile takeover bid it is seeking to halt.
Figures presented by an expert witness to the Competition Tribunal in Pretoria showed that Harmony’s cash burn for the year June 2004 to March 2005 amounted to R1,75-billion compared to Gold Fields’ R748-million.
For the quarter ended in March, Harmony made a loss of more than R500-million, while Gold Fields made a profit of R75-million, stockbroker Nick Goodwin testified.
Asked when Harmony would run out of cash, Goodwin said the company had ”started to sell the kitchen silver” when it recently sold its interest in African Rainbow Minerals at a loss. The cash generated by that transaction should run out by June, by when Harmony would have to start selling off its existing Gold Fields shares — whose prices are falling fast.
Harmony was ”fighting desperately” to save itself, also closing shafts, Goodwin told the tribunal.
”I think they’ve possibly bought for themselves about 18 months.”
Asked about the relevance of the evidence, Mike van der Nest, SC, told the tribunal: ”There are signs that are plain to see. We have here a Harmony that is either in financial distress or is approaching financial distress.”
In other evidence, Harmony’s commitment to the empowerment of previously disadvantaged people, particularly the disabled, was also brought into question.
Natalie Killassy, director of Paragon Textiles — which employs disabled people to produce knee and arm guards for mining companies — said Harmony did not adhere to its stated policies in this regard.
”Actions speak louder than the words on these papers,” she said, referring to documentation on Harmony’s empowerment policies.
Her own company, Killassy said, was overlooked for a supply contract by Harmony for reasons of input costs. Paragon Textiles is involved in a supply contract with Gold Fields as part of a special empowerment project.
”They [Gold Fields] feel responsible towards disabled people and have taken ownership of doing something about it,” she testified.
Killassy expressed concern that a hostile takeover would lead to such Gold Fields projects coming to an end.
Lawyers for Harmony said that comparing Harmony’s nine percent black economic empowerment supply companies with Gold Fields’ 28% was not fair.
Harmony was committed to deals with companies with ”genuine BEE content”, while Gold Fields’ procurement contracts involved companies with as little as 10% black ownership or management, it was stated. – Sapa