AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation. It is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents. The company is listed on the New York, Johannesburg, Accra, London and Australian stock exchanges, as well as the Paris and Brussels bourses.
In 2008, AngloGold produced 4.98 million ounces of gold from its operations, estimated to be seven percent of the global production. In 2009, the company's gold output dropped to 4.6 million ounces. As of the third quarter of 2014, Anglogold was the world's third-largest producer of gold, behind Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining.
History
AngloGold Ashanti was formed on 26 April 2004, after the High Court of Ghana approved the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation three days earlier. AngoGold had been a gold mining company based in South Africa, majority-owned by the Anglo American group. This came almost a year after the merger was announced on 16 May 2003. In the transaction, Ashanti shareholders received 0.29 ordinary shares of AngloGold for every Ashanti share.The new company sold its Union Reef Gold Mine in the Northern Territory of Australia in August 2004, followed by the sale of the Freda-Rebecca Gold Mine in Zimbabwe a month later.
In late 2007, Mark Cutifani replaced Bobby Godsell as CEO of AngloGold Ashanti, being appointed a director of the company on 17 September 2007 and as CEO on 1 October that year.
In January 2009, AngloGold Ashanti sold its 33% stake in the Boddington Gold Mine in Australia to Newmont Mining for US$1.0 billion.
Russell Edey, chairman of AngloGold since 2002 and, after the merger also of AngloGold Ashanti, was replaced by Tito Mboweni in May 2010. The company's Tau Lekoa Gold Mine in South Africa was sold to Buffelsfontein Gold Mines Limited in February 2009, with ownership being transferred on 1 August 2010.
The company announced the elimination of the last of its hedge book in October 2010. The company had hedged 11.3 million ounces of gold, as of early 2008, under previous CEO Bobby Godsell. Under its new CEO, this was gradually reduced to 3.22 million. In October 2010, this remaining amount was paid off with US$2.63 billion, or US$1,300 per ounce of gold.
In 2020 it sold its last South African mining assets to Harmony Gold for about R4.4 billion. It no longer has any operations left in South Africa but remains listed on the JSE.
AngloGold Ashanti is a signatory participant of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.
Criticism
In August 2008 British charity War on Want published a report accusing Anglo American of profiting from the abuse of people in the developing countries in which the company operates. The company disclosed itself in 2006 or in 2008 for unacceptable safety performance in its platinum mines. Safety measures were taken. Additionally, in 2005 the staff of the AGA exploration team in Ituri made an US$8,000 payment to the FNI, which had been accused of committing various humans rights abuses.In January 2011, AngloGold Ashanti was awarded the Public Eye Global Award at the Public Eye Awards hosted with Greenpeace in Davos, Switzerland by the Erklärung von Bern, known in English as the Berne Convention. The award has been interpreted as being for the "most irresponsible company". The nominating organisation, WACAM, said the company had a history of "gross human rights violations and environmental problems."
Key figures
Financial
Financial figures for the company:| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Revenue | 3,113 | 3,743 | 3,961 | ||||||
| Gold income | 2,393 | 2,646 | 3,002 | 3,619 | 3,768 | 5,334 | 6,570 | 6,353 | |
| Gross loss/profit | 109 | 277 | −248 | 594 | −578 | 1,082 | 2,623 | 2,256 | |
| Dividends per share | 56 | 36 | 62 | 19 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 49 | 36 |
| Total cash cost | 264 | 281 | 308 | 357 | 444 | 514 | 638 | 728 | 862 |
| Total production cost | 332 | 374 | 414 | 476 | 567 | 646 | 816 | 950 | 1,078 |
| Employees | 65,400 | 63,993 | 61,453 | 61,522 | 62,895 | 63,364 | 62,046 | 61,242 | 65,822 |
Gold production
Gold production figures for the company's mines since 2004 in ounces per annum were| Mine | Country | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Bibiani 1 | Ghana | 105,000 | 115,000 | 37,000 | --- | --- | --- | --- | - | - |
| Brasil Mineração | Brazil | 240,000 | 250,000 | 242,000 | 317,000 | 320,000 | 329,000 | - | - | |
| Cerro Vanguardia | Argentina | 211,000 | 211,000 | 215,000 | 204,000 | 154,000 | 192,000 | - | - | |
| Cripple Creek & Victor | United States | 329,030 | 329,625 | 283,486 | 282,000 | 258,000 | 218,000 | - | - | |
| Freda-Rebecca 3 | Zimbabwe | 9,000 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | - | - |
| Geita | Tanzania | 570,000 | 613,000 | 308,000 | 327,000 | 264,000 | 272,000 | - | - | |
| Great Noligwa | South Africa | 795,000 | 693,000 | 615,000 | 483,000 | 330,000 | 158,000 | - | - | |
| Iduapriem | Ghana | 125,000 | 174,000 | 167,000 | 167,000 | 200,000 | 190,000 | - | - | |
| Kopanang | South Africa | 486,000 | 482,000 | 446,000 | 418,000 | 362,000 | 336,000 | - | - | |
| Moab Khotsong 2 | South Africa | --- | --- | 44,000 | 67,000 | 192,000 | 247,000 | - | - | |
| Morila | Mali | 204,000 | 262,000 | 207,000 | 180,000 | 170,000 | 137,000 | - | - | |
| Mponeng | South Africa | 438,000 | 512,000 | 596,000 | 587,000 | 600,000 | 520,000 | - | - | |
| Navachab | Namibia | 67,000 | 81,000 | 86,000 | 80,000 | 68,000 | 65,000 | - | - | |
| Obuasi | Ghana | 255,000 | 391,000 | 387,000 | 360,000 | 357,000 | 381,000 | - | - | |
| Sadiola | Mali | 174,000 | 168,000 | 190,000 | 140,000 | 172,000 | 135,000 | - | - | |
| Savuka | South Africa | 158,000 | 126,000 | 89,000 | 73,000 | 66,000 | 30,000 | - | - | |
| Serra Grande | Brazil | 94,000 | 96,000 | 97,000 | 91,000 | 87,000 | 77,000 | - | - | |
| Siguiri | Guinea | 83,000 | 246,000 | 256,000 | 280,000 | 333,000 | 316,000 | - | - | |
| Sunrise Dam | Australia | 410,000 | 455,000 | 465,000 | 600,000 | 433,000 | 401,000 | - | - | |
| Tau Lekoa 4 | South Africa | 293,000 | 265,000 | 176,000 | 165,000 | 143,000 | 124,000 | - | - | |
| TauTona | South Africa | 568,000 | 502,000 | 474,000 | 409,000 | 314,000 | 218,000 | - | - | |
| Surface Operations | South Africa | 119,000 | 95,000 | 113,000 | 125,000 | 92,000 | 164,000 | - | - | |
| Yatela | Mali | 97,000 | 98,000 | 141,000 | 120,000 | 66,000 | 89,000 | - | - | |
| Overall | World | 5,816,000 | 6,166,000 | 5,635,000 | 5,480,000 | 4,982,000 | 4,599,000 | - | - |
- Figures for 2004 for Freda-Rebecca, Siguiri, Bibiani, Iduapriem and Obuasi are for the period from May to December, from the merger onwards, having belonged to Ashanti Goldfields Corporation before the merger.
- Percentage figures behind names indicate the share of production of the mine belonging to AngloGold Ashanti. Production figures shown are those belonging to AngloGold Ashanti, not overall production.
- 1 The Bibiani Gold Mine was sold 1 December 2006.
- 2 The Moab Khotsong Gold Mine started production in 2006.
- 3 The Freda-Rebecca Gold Mine was sold 1 September 2004.
- 4 The Tau Lekoa Gold Mine was sold to Buffelsfontein Gold Mines Limited, with ownership being transferred on 1 August 2010.
Fatalities
| Year | Number | Change |
| 2004 | 31 | new company |
| 2005 | 25 | 6% |
| 2006 | 37 | 48% |
| 2007 | 34 | 8% |
| 2008 | 14 | 57% |
| 2009 | 16 | 14% |
| 2010 | 15 | 16% |
| 2011 | 15 | |
| 2012 | 18 | 14% |