.. was nicht nur auf den gestiegenen Rand zurückzuführen ist.
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Gold mining under pressure
Fri, 12 May 2006
The latest mining production figures once again reveal the fundamental problems facing gold producers in South Africa.
The volume of gold production in March is now at around two-thirds of levels seen in 2000, and is 9.3 percent lower than the volumes produced in March 2005. Furthermore, seasonally adjusted volumes in the first quarter of 2006 are 3.1 percent lower than the fourth quarter.
Rand strength
The strength of the rand has certainly squeezed margins in the industry over the past number of years causing closure of marginal mining operations, however the effects of a strong rand have surely been mitigated significantly with the ascending dollar price of gold in recent months.
This surely points to more fundamental industry problems that go beyond merely a strong currency, a sentiment that is confirmed by the fact the ore is becoming more and more difficult to mine at the margin.
Soaring prices
Nevertheless mining houses must be pleased with the escalating value of gold sales on the back of soaring commodity prices in 2006, despite ongoing rand strength.
Sales of gold increased by 41.0 percent year-on-year in February, rising from R1.57-billion in February 2005 to R2.21-billion in February 2006. Higher gold prices are likely to provide incentive to miners to increase production, which would require reopening discontinued shafts and even closed mines, hiring more labour and investing in technologies to mine deeper.
This is not an overnight process and it would likely be six to 12 months before increasing production is seen.
The stars of non-gold production in March were the platinum group metals, which saw a seasonally adjusted increase in volumes of 22.8 percent from February.
The massive increases in prices of these metals over the past 18 months mean that, similarly to gold, although production is down somewhat from February 2005, the value of sales in February 2006 is nearly 50 percent higher, rising to R3.84-billion from R2.57-billion.
The increasing trade deficit in the face of a healthy improvement in South Africa's terms of trade arising from the commodity price boom and the strong rand gives a stark indication of mining's declining role in South Africa's economy.
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Gold ist in Südafrika nicht unerschöpflich vorhanden. Geringere Minenproduktion bedeutet stetig steigender Goldpreis für die Zukunft. Physisch schlägt (Gold)-Minenaktien!!!
Südafrikas Goldproduktion lag 1970 noch bei 1000 Tonnen p.a.!!! ... und jetzt nur noch bei knapp 300 Tonnen für 2005. Wold Gold Council oder auch GFMS führen dies auf geringere technische Ausrüstung zurück. 700 Tonnen Geringere Minenproduktion als in 1970 können nicht nur technischer Rückstand sein, sondern fehlende Vorkommen.
Umso länger besteht die Möglichkeit Gold günstig einzukaufen! 
