Wage talks between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and world number one platinum miner Anglo Platinum have deadlocked and the NUM has issued the group with a letter of dispute, NUM Deputy general secretary Archie Palane said on Monday.
South Africa’s major mining companies on Wednesday signed a commitment to achieve the sector’s previously established health and safety targets — which aim for zero fatalities and injuries as well as the elimination of silicosis and hearing loss. The targets were established at a mine health and safety summit held in 2003.
A fire injured four people at oil and chemicals group Sasol’s Sasolburg plant on Thursday morning. The four have since been treated at the group’s on-site medical centre and discharged, Sasol spokesperson Johann van Rheede said on Thursday. Earlier, trade union Solidarity claimed an explosion had caused the four people’s injuries.
The world’s largest diamond-miner, De Beers, and Angola diamond-mining parastatal Empresa de Diamantes de Angola (Endiama) on Friday concluded a new agreement, four years after a contractual dispute saw the two parties’ relationship break down. The agreement became effective on Friday.
South African retail group Mr Price on Wednesday reported a 35% increase in headline earnings per share to 120,4 cents for its 2005 financial year ended March, from 89,1 cents in the previous financial year. The group increased its final dividend per share by 71% to 60 cents, from 35 cents previously.
The chief executive of world number-four gold-miner Gold Fields, Ian Cockerill, on Monday again urged Gold Fields shareholders to reject Harmony’s offer. Harmony’s offer to Gold Fields shareholders closes on Friday, and the offer has garnered 11,8% of Gold Fields’ securities in issue.
South Africa’s largest gold-miner, AngloGold Ashanti, is looking to achieve cost savings of more than $80-million (R491-million) at its South African gold mines this year, the company’s head of South African operations, Robbie Lazare, said on Tuesday. AngloGold Ashanti previously budgeted on savings of $41,4-million.
Global resources group BHP Billiton on Thursday reported increases in the production of iron ore, metallurgical coal, manganese ore, manganese alloys, natural gas, aluminium, copper, silver, lead, energy coal and ferrochrome for the nine months to March this year, compared with the nine months ended March last year.
World number four gold-miner Gold Fields on Thursday reported a decline in headline earnings per share to two cents for the March 2005 quarter from nine cents in the December quarter. Analysts surveyed by I-Net Bridge had expected Gold Fields to report headline earnings per share of 12 cents.
World number six gold-miner Harmony on Thursday announced the appointment of former Mozambican president Joachim Chissano to its board of directors, with effect from Friday. Harmony chief executive Bernard Swanepoel said: "We are extremely pleased former president Chissano has agreed to become a non-executive director."