Harmony gold mine theft highlights industry scourge
07:16 a.m. Feb 23, 1999 Eastern
By Darren Schuettler
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A botched gold theft at one
of South Africa's premier mines has highlighted a persistent problem in
an industry that loses about 30 tonnes of gold annually to novice thieves
and sophisticated syndicates.
The latest incident to make headlines at the weekend was the theft of a
gold bar from a Harmony Gold Co plant in the mineral rich Free State
province.
Five people -- three mine employees and two security guards -- are
alleged to have conspired to steal the bar containing about 18.7
kilograms of gold.
Four people have been arrested since the February 13 incident and
police are searching for a fifth suspect. ''There was no way they were
going to get away with this. It was a very amateurish attempt,''
Harmony technical director Bob Atkinson told Reuters.
Atkinson said the missing gold was quickly detected by the company's
accounting procedures, but he added it is a persistent problem for the
industry and more resources should be devoted to combatting theft.
''I think it is a serious problem in the South African gold mining
industry. It's a recurring problem and perhaps does not get the attention
that it deserves,'' Atkinson said.
Last year, Johannesburg-based Avgold Ltd said it suspected gold was
stolen from its ETC operation, but to date the culprits have not been
caught.
Stolen gold has become a critical issue as South Africa's annual output
continues to slide in the wake of an industry-wide restructuring and
slumping gold prices.
South African mines produced 473.7 tonnes of gold in 1998, the
lowest output in four decades, and is expected to consolidate at current
levels.
Gold thieves range from a single miner who hides gold dust in his
trouser turn-ups, or cuffs, to crime syndicates armed with forged
documents and offshore bank accounts.
South Africa's Chamber of Mines, which represents the country's
major gold producers, has estimated that about 30 tonnes of the metal
is lost annually through criminal activity.
The Chamber has said gold theft can be a determining factor in whether
a mine is profitable or marginal in certain circumstances.
The Chamber and South African police are currently negotiating a gold
fingerprinting agreement as part of a concerted effort to combat theft at
the country's mines.
The agreement would see a system put in place where stolen gold
could be traced back to the mine and allow the company to take
corrective action.
The police Diamond and Gold Unit would also receive funds from the
Chamber to help defray the costs of theft prevention and recovery
programmes.
Figures for 1998 are not available, but the unit made over 3,000 arrests
in connection with precious metal thefts in 1997 with a recovery rate of
between five and nine percent.
((Johannesburg newsroom, 27 11 482 1003,
newsroom+reuters.co.za))
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. |
