JOHANNESBURG, May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gold Fields Limited ("Gold Fields") (NYSE, JSE, DIFX: GFI) reports today that engineering and technical teams have been working during the night and will continue this morning to carry out safety checks on all winding ropes at all its mining operations in South Africa following the tragic shaft accident at South Deep gold mine yesterday in which nine people lost their lives. The thorough testing of the winding ropes is expected to be completed by tomorrow, (Saturday). It follows a directive from the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) that all winding was to cease until the integrity of all winding ropes had been assessed and found to be safe for winding purposes. Although the directive, known as a Section 54, specifically mentioned Gold Fields' South Deep, Kloof, and Driefontein gold mines on the West Rand, winding ropes at the company's Beatrix mine in the Free State have also been examined. Nick Holland, the CEO of Gold Fields said: "The safety of our people is paramount. We lost nine of our colleagues in yesterday's terrible accident. If we cannot mine safely, we will not mine. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find the reason for the accident and will co-operate fully with the DME." About Gold Fields Gold Fields Limited is one of the world's largest unhedged producers of gold with attributable production of more than four million ounces per annum from eight operating mines in South Africa, Ghana and Australia. A ninth mine, the Cerro Corona Gold/Copper mine in Peru, is expected to commence production by mid 2008 at an initial rate of approximately 400,000 gold equivalent ounces per annum. The company has total attributable ore reserves of 92 million ounces and mineral resources of 252 million ounces. Gold Fields employs some 53,000 permanent employees across its operations and is listed on the JSE Limited South Africa (primary listing), the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX). All of Gold Fields' operations are ISO14001 certified. For more information please visit the Gold Fields website at http://www.goldfields.co.za/. DATASOURCE: Gold Fields Limited CONTACT: Enquiries: Andrew Davidson, Mobile +27-0826677203

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