DRD seemingly behind front firm
May 23 2005 11:49:21:300AM
By: Jan de Lange
Johannesburg - DRD Gold, which placed its North West operations under preliminary liquidation in March, is allegedly trying to buy back two mines, Buffelsfontein and Hartbeesfontein, through a front company.
The offer was prepared less than two months after DRD managed to disentangle itself from severance packages of about R156m by placing the two mines under liquidation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of former employees of the mine queue up every morning to receive food made available from donations from unions and the public.
DRD allegedly wants to reopen two of the nine shafts, the number 6 shaft and the number 9 shaft, for underground mining and wants to put two other shafts, the number 9 and 12 shafts, back into operation through a subcontractor, JIC.
The true reason for DRD's interest is presumably two valuable silt dams at the number 2 and 3 shafts with which it can increase the lifespan of Mine Waste Solutions (MWS), a recovery company in Klerksdorp.
DRD is in the process of buying MWS. The initial offer was for R95m, but it will probably be less when the deal is announced later this week.
MWS can stay in operation only for the next 30 months because it cannot find any more gold-carrying mine waste. However, if MWS can obtain the silt dams in North West, the company's lifespan will be increased by at least 10 years.
This is a plan that DRD started working on with Women in Mining, an empowerment group, six months ago.
However, the biggest problem was cutting labour costs in North West, but the earthquake early in March and the liquidation on March 22 gave DRD the ideal opportunity to escape these responsibilities.
Up till now, the liquidators of North West were kept in the dark about DRD's involvement in a consortium that is trying to buy North West back.
However, it came to light at a secret meeting between Louis Lamsley, head of DRD's South African operations, with eight senior managers from North West last Tuesday.
Lamsley confirmed over the weekend that the meeting took place.
"I merely bought my staff breakfast. There was nothing secret about it," he said.
He also confirmed that DRD was in the process of buying MWS.
Barend Petersen, one of the liquidators, said last week that the liquidators were unaware that DRD is involved in any of the three offers for North West that they had received.
The liquidators gave Gwede Mantashe, chief secretary of the NUM, an opportunity last week to look at the three offers for North West. One of the offers is from Simmer & Jack and another from Savuma.
"It is as clear as daylight that one of the bidders is a front company for DRD.
"The bidder wants to operate the mine through DRD and appoint JIC as a contractor," Mantashe said.
A confidentiality clause prevents him from disclosing who the bidder is, but he is angry at the liquidators for not completing the sale of the mine yet.