Harmony Gold (mining)

Harmony Gold is the largest gold mining company in South Africa and the fifth largest gold producer in the world.

Company Information

The company is based in the South African Melrose Arch in 2004 with a turnover of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars at a processing of 33.96 million tonnes of gold ore and a paragraph 3.23 million ounces of gold ( 100,000 kilograms). The company is listed under the symbol HMY on the New York Stock Exchange and on six other exchanges around the world. From African Rainbow Minerals 15 % shares are held.

The vertically integrated company operates all steps of the exploration of gold deposits, their development, the underground as above ground extraction of gold ore, processing and refining of gold itself

Apart from South Africa, the company also has mines in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Canada.

History

The company was founded in 1950. From 1994 to 2005, the company is growing rapidly especially through acquisitions. The South African billionaire and founder of other mining companies, Patrice Motsepe, is Chairman of the Board in 2005. In the following years, the company is expanding its business and, in addition additional acquisitions and strategic alliances with other mining companies.

On the morning of 3 October 2007, by the rupture of a compressed air line, which crashed in an elevator shaft down the main elevator of Elandsrand Gold Mine (also Elandskraal mine ), at Far West Rand, about 10 km south-west of Carletonville in the Gauteng province decommissioned. Then sat 3,200 miners firmly in 2,150 meters depth. By the evening of October 4, all buddy could be saved. In the accident, no one was injured or killed, the miners possessed fresh air and water. The recovery of around 40 degrees Celsius air temperature trapped delayed by a poorly maintained dodge shaft and due to the low capacity of the freight elevator with the miners to be rescued.