“The Group’s higher unit costs for the quarter are a result of lower yields from most of our quality mines and are
frustrating at a time when we are harnessing all efforts to reduce costs. Over the next six months, we will continue
to develop at these significantly higher levels in order to create sufficient available face length which will not only
enable us to increase grades by some 10% to 15%, but will also put us in a position where we will have more
consistent production results. This should enable us to reduce unit costs and improved performance.”
Harmony’s cash operating profit declined by 15.3% to R755 million (R891 million). Headline earnings for the December 2006
quarter decreased to 44 cents per share compared with 66 cents per share for the September 2006 quarter.
Our South African underground operations reported a decrease in production of 4%. Recovery grades declined by 4.4% from
5.0g/t in the previous quarter to 4.8g/t in the December 2006 quarter contributing to a higher cash operating cost of
R104 056/kg (R98 302/kg).
Yields decreased by 5.1% to 2.43g/t during the December 2006 quarter at our Australian operations and production was 7.9%
lower from 2 049kg to 1 888kg.
Harmony experienced a busy quarter with a number of corporate financial activities taking place. At the beginning of the
quarter, Harmony sold the entire infrastructure of Randfontein No. 4 shaft for a total consideration of R55 million.
On 1 December 2006, Harmony accepted Gold Fields’ offer of 35 GFI shares for every 100 Western Areas shares held. Harmony
had acquired the 29.2% stake (44 985 939 shares) in Western Areas at a cost of R44.23 per share on 9 March 2006. The
investment was carried at fair value of R42.01 per share in Harmony’s books. The proceeds on the share conversion amounts
to R47.26 per Western Areas share, resulting in a profit before tax of R5.25 per Western Areas share.
During the December 2006 quarter, Harmony settled 50 000 ounces of hedged forward positions at a cost of R82.9 million
(A$14.7 million). Another 42 000 ounces will be settled in the March 2007 quarter.
Hidden Valley and Westpac Bank PNG Ltd concluded a US$31 million fleet financing facility and a master lease agreement has
been signed. The funding is available for a period of five years after delivery of the equipment. The facility will carry interest at
Libor plus 1.25% until 95% of budgeted production is reached, thereafter the rate will decrease to Libor plus 0.80%.
A 15% deposit on all equipment ordered is payable, with the remaining portion funded by the lease agreement.
The positive labour relations with our union, NUM, has led to a two-year
Conops agreement being signed for all Harmony’s
mines where
Conops
is implemented and an undertaking was received that the union would support our application to the
Minister of Mines for permission to work on Sundays.
Last year, Harmony launched the HOT strategy which examines ways and methods of turning liabilities or under-utilised assets
into immediate or future value for all stakeholders. The disposal of the Randfontein No. 4 shaft surface infrastructure and shaft
is a good example. We are also in advanced negotiations with regards to the disposal of Deelkraal’s surface infrastructure. These
unused assets typically sit in our books as significant closure liabilities. The HOT concept has, so far, been implemented in five
business areas, namely property, exploitation of by-products, water, rehabilitation and intellectual property.
Initial results of HOT have illustrated that the areas with the potential for quick savings are the property and by-product
exploitation businesses. To this end, we have incorporated a property as well as a rehabilitation company to accelerate the cost-
saving process and realise value. We are fast-tracking the capex to increase our gravity recovery circuits at most of our South
African plants in order to increase our osmiridium recovery and further reduce our treatment costs. We have also finalised a
detailed plan to include uranium in our resource declaration by June 2007. A drilling programme running concurrent with the
Mega Dump pre-feasibility programme has commenced to confirm both gold and uranium values. Harmony anticipates that
approval of a number of surface prospecting licenses will be obtained in the short term.
The HIP was successfully implemented across all our South African operations. HIP is aimed at addressing the improvement of
efficiencies throughout the group through the implementation of best practices as well as new ideas to reduce costs and
improve performance. This can be seen as the logical extension of our Services Transformation Project (STP) through which we
have, over the last 18 months, significantly improved internal service levels and achieved audited savings of just over
R200 million.
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