JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - The interim board of battered gold and uranium producer Simmer and Jack Mines (Simmers) has appointed Theba chairperson Vusi Khanyile as nonexecutive chair, the company announced on Friday.

The interim board has also appointed Deon van der Mescht as CEO. Both appointments were effective immediately.

Khanyile replaced Nigel Brunette, while Van der Mescht took over from Gordon Miller.

Both Miller and Brunette have been under pressure to step down from disgruntled empowerment partner Vulisango.

Simmers announced their resignations in December, but indicated that Brunette and Miller would not relinquish their positions as chairperson and CEO of First Uranium.

"This move signifies the formal separation of Simmers and First Uranium. While the dual roles of chairperson and CEO served us well during the crucial development years, the time had come to separate the responsibilities," said Brunette.

John Berry also retired from his position at Simmers, in order to focus on his duties at First Uranium.

Incoming chairperson Khanyile said that he was confident that Simmers had a "strong, coherent, functional and independent board".

Khanyile, Ralph Havenstein, Colin Brayshaw, Sindi Koyana, Adrian Meyer and Nick Segal have been appointed as independent nonexecutive directors; while and Van der Mescht and CFO Gerhard Jacobs are executive directors.

"The track record and qualifications of the directors speak for themselves and will provide the leadership necessary to ensure the future success of the company," Khanyile commented.

Brunette noted that, in his opinion, the new Simmers board represented a "clean break" with the conflicts that had impeded its progress in the past, and comprised "excellent directors who, along with the capable management team that has been built up over the last four years, would ensure that Simmers had a dynamic future".

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