/ 31 March 2011

Harmony stops operations at SA mine

Harmony Gold said on Thursday that it had stopped operations at its Joel mine in South Africa after an employee died in an accident.

Harmony Gold, the world’s fifth largest gold miner, said on Thursday that it had stopped operations at its Joel mine in South Africa after an employee died in an accident.

“Operations have been stopped until such time as all investigations into the accident have been completed,” the company said in a brief statement.

It said the employee had succumbed to internal injuries following an accident which occurred on Wednesday.

On its website Harmony says the Joel mine in the Free State, produced almost 64 500 ounces of gold in the financial year 2010, down from almost 66 000 ounces the previous year.

Harmony shares were 1,21% higher at R103,50, adding to recent gains. — Reuters