Harmony Gold Extends the Closing Date of the Subsequent Offer for Gold Fields
March 10 2005 - 11:39AM
PR Newswire (US)
Harmony Gold Extends the Closing Date of the Subsequent Offer for
Gold Fields JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 10
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited
(NYSE: "HMY"; JSE: "HAR") hereby announces that the expected
closing date of the subsequent offer is hereby extended to 12.00
p.m. (South African time) on Friday, 20 May 2005. Harmony will
notify shareholders by means of a public announcement of any
amendment to the expected closing date of the subsequent offer set
out above. Harmony announces that as at 5.00 p.m. (South African
time) on 9 March 2005, valid acceptances of the subsequent offer
had been received in respect of a total of 128 910 Gold Fields
(NYSE: "GFI"; JSE: "GFI") shares. As previously announced, Harmony
considers this level of acceptances to be entirely consistent with
customary market practice where an offer is still awaiting approval
from the competition authorities. In addition, as previously
announced, Harmony has received an irrevocable undertaking from
Norilsk to accept the subsequent offer in respect of 98,467,758
Gold Fields shares, representing approximately 20.03% of the entire
issued share capital of Gold Fields. Accordingly, Harmony now
either owns, has received valid acceptances of the subsequent offer
or has an irrevocable undertaking to accept the subsequent offer in
respect of a total of 155 326 496 Gold Fields shares representing
approximately 31.6% of the entire issued share capital of Gold
Fields. Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions
contained in the offer document or the registration statement sent
to Gold Fields shareholders have the same meaning in this
announcement. The directors of Harmony accept responsibility for
the information contained in this announcement. To the best of the
knowledge and belief of the directors of Harmony (who have taken
all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the
information contained in this announcement is in accordance with
the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of
such information. In connection with the proposed acquisition of
Gold Fields, Harmony has filed a registration statement (File no:
333-120975) on Form F-4 (which was declared effective by the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on February 28, 2005)
and filed a final prospectus, dated February 25, 2005, with the SEC
pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, to
register the Harmony ordinary shares (including Harmony ordinary
shares represented by Harmony American Depositary Shares ("ADSs"))
to be issued in exchange for Gold Fields ordinary shares held by
Gold Fields shareholders located in the United States and for Gold
Fields ADSs held by Gold Fields shareholders wherever located, as
well as a Statement on Schedule TO. Investors and holders of Gold
Fields securities are strongly advised to read the registration
statement, the related exchange offer materials and the final
prospectus, the Statement on Schedule TO and any other relevant
documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments and
supplements to those documents, because they contain important
information. Investors and holders of Gold Fields securities may
obtain free copies of the registration statement, related exchange
offer materials, the final prospectus and the Statement on Schedule
TO, as well as other relevant documents filed or to be filed with
the SEC, at the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov/. Investors
and holders of Gold Fields securities will receive information at
an appropriate time on how to obtain transaction- related documents
for free from Harmony or its duly designated agent. The final
prospectus and other transaction-related documents may be obtained
for free from MacKenzie Partners, Inc., the information agent for
the U.S. offer, at the following address: 105 Madison Avenue, New
York, New York 10016; telephone 1 (212) 929 5500 (call collect) or
1 (800) 322 2885 (toll-free call); e-mail . This communication is
for information purposes only. It shall not constitute an offer to
purchase or exchange or the solicitation of an offer to sell or
exchange any securities of Gold Fields or an offer to sell or
exchange or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange any
securities of Harmony, nor shall there be any sale or exchange of
securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or
sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to the registration or
qualification under the laws of such jurisdiction. The distribution
of this communication may, in some countries, be restricted by law
or regulation. Accordingly, persons who come into possession of
this communication should inform themselves of and observe these
restrictions. The solicitation of offers to buy Gold Fields
ordinary shares (including Gold Fields ordinary shares represented
by Gold Fields ADSs) in the United States will only be made
pursuant to a prospectus and related offer materials that Harmony
has sent to holders of Gold Fields securities. The Harmony ordinary
shares (including Harmony ordinary shares represented by Harmony
ADSs) may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, in the
United States prior to the time the registration statement becomes
effective. No offering of securities shall be made in the United
States except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of
Section 10 of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
DATASOURCE: Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited CONTACT: Ferdi
Dippenaar, +27-11-684-0140, mobile, +27-82-807-3684, or Vusi
Magadana, +27-11-684-0140, both of Harmony Gold Mining Company
Limited; Jennifer Cohen, +27-11-214-2401, mobile, +27-82-468-6469,
, or Patrick Lawlor, +27-11-214-2410, mobile, +27-82-459-6709, ,
both of Beachhead Media & Investor Relations, South Africa for
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited; Hollis Rafkin-Sax,
+1-212-850-5789, mobile, +1-917-509-0255, , or Torie Pennington,
+1-212-850-5629, mobile, +1-917-838-1369, , both of Financial
Dynamics Business Communications, United States, for Harmony Gold
Mining Company Limited; Nic Bennett, +44-207-269-7115, mobile,
+44-7979-536-619, , or Charles Watenphul, +44-207-269-7216, mobile,
+44-7866-438-013, , both of Financial Dynamics Business
Communications, United Kingdom, for Harmony Gold Mining Company
Limited; Daniel Burch, +1-212-929-5500, , or Steve Balet,
1-800-322-2885, both of MacKenzie Partners, Inc, US Information
Agent
Copyright