SOUTHERNERA RESOURCES LIMITED - MARSFONTEIN MINERAL RIGHTS DISPUTE
TORONTO, April 14 /CNW/ - On April 3, 1998 SouthernEra Resources
Limited (SUF-TSE), and joint venture partner, Randgold & Exploration
Company Limited (the Applicants), applied to the High Court of South
Africa to seek relief against NGS Minerals (Pty) Limited (NGS) and
Jacobus Francoise Jordaan (the Respondents) to prevent them from
alienating or encumbering certain mineral rights on the farm Marsfontein
91 KS in the Northern Province of South Africa. The request was for an
interdict to apply and remain in full force and effect until the
Applicants' request for expropriation in terms of Section 24 of the
Minerals Act, 50 of 1991, had finally been determined.
Despite the above, counsel for NGS informed the Applicants' counsel,
immediately prior to the scheduled court hearing on April 14, 1998 that
they had concluded a prospecting contract for Marsfontein on April 9,
1998, with De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited. NGS and De Beers have
refused to divulge the
terms of the contract.
SouthernEra and partner Randgold will continue to seek expropriation
under Section 24 of the Minerals Act, and will also seek to deny the
intervention of NGS in the earlier Section 17 hearing which is still
before the courts. It is anticipated that De Beers will now become a
Respondent in both the expropriation and interdict applications as
outlined above. SouthernEra and Randgold are of the opinion that their
legal position in these actions remains unchanged. |
