Issued by Harmony Gold
Mining Company Limited
18October 2010
For more details contact:
Marian van der Walt
Executive: Corporate and
Investor Relations
+27 82 888 1242(mobile)
Henrika Basterfield
Investor Relations Officer
+27 11 411 2314 (work)
+27 82 759 1775(mobile)
Corporate Office:
Randfontein Office Park
P O Box 2
Randfontein
South Africa 1760
T +27 (11) 411 2000
www.harmony.co.za
JSE:
HAR
NYSE:
HMY
ISIN No.: ZAE000015228
Registration number:
1950/038232/06
Harmony closes Merriespruit 1
Johannesburg, 18 October 2010: Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited
(Harmony) announces that, following careful and considerable review, the company
will be closingMerriespruit 1 shaft in Virginia at the end of October 2010.
Earlier this year a productivity-linked deal with the trade unions was reached that
allowed Merriespruit 1 to continue its operations provided it did not make a loss (on a
total cost basis, including any capital expenditure) for two consecutive months and
total costs remained under R250 000/kg. Despite the operational team’s best
endeavours,Merriespruit 1 has failed to meet these conditions and closure
procedures have commenced.
Employee representatives, through their trade unions, have been informed of the
closure. Management has embarked on a formal consultation process with
employees in terms of the Section 189A of the Labour Relations Act (previously
agreed to in respect of the Virginia closures), to consider alternatives to
retrenchment. Approximately 1 470 employees are affected by the closure. Of this
amount, 1 200 will be transferred tomainly our growth operations and approximately
270 may be retrenched.
“The operational team and unions at Merriespruit 1 used the profitability agreement
as an opportunity to extend the mine’s life; they gave it their best to meet the agreed
conditions, but the orebody is mined out and with the current cost pressures in South
Africa it is simply no longer viable to continue mining at this operation. Harmony will
minimise job losses by transferring the majority of affected employees to mainly our
growth projects,” said Harmony CEO Graham Briggs.
ends.