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Kopanang mine, South Africa

24th June 2016

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

  

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Name: Kopanang mine.

Location: The mine is located on the border of South Africa’s Free State and North West provinces, about 170 km south-west of Johannesburg.

Controlling Company: AngloGold Ashanti.

Brief Description: Kopanang is a mature, deep-level underground operation. The focus of mining has shifted to the west of the mine in the past few years. The mine, bound to the south by the Jersey fault, has a single shaft system to a depth of 2 600 m. It exploits the Vaal reef (VR) almost exclusively, producing gold as its primary output and uranium oxide as a by-product.

Brief History: Shaft sinking was initiated in 1977 and completed by 1981, with production beginning in 1984.

Products: Gold and by-product of uranium.

Geology/Mineralisation: Kopanang is situated in a structurally complex area of the Witwatersrand basin, which has been subjected to numerous tectonic events. The VR is the main economic horizon at Kopanang and the Crystalkop reef (C reef) the second. Both reefs are part of the Witwatersrand Supergroup and are strategically located near the middle of the Central Rand Group. The C reef forms part of the top of the Johannesburg subgroup, while the VR is situated about 255 m below the C reef. The narrow bodies are gold- and uranium-bearing and currently only the VR is mined, with limited C reef mining planned during the life-of-mine. The C reef is accessible through the VR infrastructure. These conglomerate units dip at an average of 21° towards the south and occur in a 2 100-m-thick sedimentary sequence comprising the Central Rand Group.

Mining is complicated by an assortment of steep north-dipping and younger, low-angle south-dipping faults. The interplay of these main fault regimes, along with abundant pre- and post-dating dykes, results in a complex and geologically challenging deposit.

The VR package varies from about 10 cm or less in thickness to more than 2.5 m. It comprises a thin basal conglomerate (the C-facies) and a thicker sequence of upper conglomerates (the A-facies). These two sedimentary facies are separated by the B-facies, which is a layer of barren orthoquartzite. The A-facies is further subdivided into three subfacies, known as the Bottom, Middle and Top, or the tripartite. The C-facies is well developed at Kopanang and is the principal economic horizon. The C-facies consists of thin, basal pebble lags overlain by pebbly quartzites, rather than clast-supported conglomerates, and gold values are generally low. Good grades and good carbon seam development occur in areas of thin but predominantly well-packed conglomerates.

The C reef is poorly developed, with relatively small areas of economic interest. As with the VR, high uranium values are also often associated with high gold values and the presence of a 5-mm- to 2-cm-thick carbon seam is found at the base of the conglomerate.

Reserves: Proven and probable reserves as at December 31, 2015, were estimated at 3.55-million tonnes, grading 6.64 g/t of gold.

Resources: Exclusive mineral resources as at December 31, 2015, were estimated at six-million tonnes, grading 14.85 g/t of gold.

Mining Method: Two gold-bearing VR and C-reef horizons are accessed through a single shaft system, which descends to a maximum depth of 2 334 m. The main working levels are situated between 1 300 m and 2 064 m below surface. A sequential grid mining layout is used from which scattered mining is conducted.

Major Infrastructure and Equipment: Broken-rock handling is track-bound, transferred to several interlevel, subvertical transfer systems that gravity feeds to the main silos on 75 level. The rock is hoisted to surface through the main shaft, from which rock is transported to the processing plant by train. Moab Khotsong and Kopanang mines share the Great Noligwa gold plant, whose design capacity exceeds the maximum planned production from the two mines. Gold and uranium are recovered through gold cyanide and acid uranium leaching.

Prospects: In December 2015, it was decided to process stoping ore and the development rock as one product. This allows for the independent reprocessing of the Kopanang low-grade stockpile.

Meanwhile, good progress has been made with the integration of the VR operations. This has entailed consolidation of the surface infrastructure of the neighbouring Moab Khotsong, Kopanang and Great Noligwa mines, as well as some of their underground infrastructure.

This is expected to further reduce the surface footprint, allow for improved mining flexibility in response to a variable gold price, enable AngloGold to take advantage of synergies in the management of mineral and shared services, and improve the profitability and sustainability of these operations. Substantial savings have been realised to date. In 2016, the focus is expected to be on refining and embedding these changes to achieve further cost efficiencies and eliminate duplication.

Contact Person: Investor relations Stewart Bailey.

Contact Details:
AngloGold Ashanti,
tel + 27 11 637 6000,
email sbailey@anglogoldashanti.com, and
website http://www.anglogoldashanti.com.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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