"There was a meeting today between the various affected parties, including AngloGold Ashanti, and the pumps most definitely haven't been turned off. We are going to address this jointly. The matter of the underground water is being addressed at a very high level and everything is being sorted out," a legal spokesperson for one of the liquidators of the two gold mines said on Wednesday.
"The talk about flooding is really nothing -- a storm in a teacup. The problem of flooding is a widespread problem in the gold-mining industry. A company can't just walk away, it has to continue pumping," a Johannesburg analyst said.
Harmony Gold recently tried to stop pumping underground water at its Randfontein 4 shaft but could not do so as it would have had an impact on the adjacent South Deep gold mine, he added.
"DRDGold still has a legal responsibility despite the fact that they have placed Harties and Buffels in liquidation. They still have a number of legal and economic responsibilities," the analyst said.
The legal obligation to continue pumping underground water from the Hartebeesfontein and Buffelfontein gold mines will still rest with DRDGold after the liquidation of the two gold mines, AngloGold Ashanti said on Wednesday.
"AngloGold Ashanti is not willing to assume this liability, the cost of which we estimate at R85-million a year," the group said.
Apart from the Hartebeesfontein and Buffelfontein gold mines, DRDGold in South Africa owns the Blyvooruitzicht mine and has a 40% stake in both Crown Gold Recoveries and the East Rand Proprietary Mines, which are solvent.
DRDGold also has Australasian gold mines -- it wholly owns the Tolukuma mine in Papua New Guinea, and has a 45% stake in Australia's Emperor Mines, which operates the Vatukoula gold mine in Fiji, and a 20% stake in the Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea.
All the mines not operated by AngloGold Ashanti are updip of AngloGold Ashanti mines and underground water, if not controlled, would flow down the natural dip in the underground strata into the AngloGold Ashanti gold mines, the group said.
"Consequently, the updip mines are obliged by law to continue pumping underground water, even after their mining operations have ceased," AngloGold Ashanti said.
The obligation to continue pumping underground water arises under common law as well as the National Water Act 36 of 1998, the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998, the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 and the Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996, the group said.