30 July 2024
This announcement replaces RNS
Number 3985Y which was notified at 10:30am on 30th July
2024. The shareholding of Catalyse has been corrected to
reflect its interest in 280,000,000 ordinary shares in the
Company. Catalyse's shareholding in Kazera represents 29.9%
of Company's issued share capital (as
stated in the original announcement and in the TR-1 notified on 16
July 2024).
This announcement contains inside
information
Kazera
Global plc
("Kazera" or "the Company")
Operational & Corporate Update
Kazera Global plc (AIM: KZG), the
AIM-quoted investment company, is pleased to provide an update on
key operational and corporate developments.
Highlights
·
Start of diamond sands mining and processing at
Deep Blue Minerals.
·
Optimistic about the imminent start of heavy
mineral sands production at Whale Head Minerals - strong
indications received regarding the National Nuclear Regulator
permit.
·
Board to be strengthened with the proposed
appointment of Dr John Wardle as Chairman.
Deep Blue Minerals (diamonds)
Mining of diamond sands is underway,
with initial processing at Alexkor's Muisvlak plant. The resulting
diamond sands concentrate will be stockpiled and then processed by
the Company using a FlowSort, which employs X-Ray technology to
identify diamonds. Following this, secure and supervised hand
sorting and grading of the diamond output will be conducted before
the diamonds are prepared for sale. Ahead of its commissioning,
Alexkor required the manufacturer to make several minor adaptations
to the FlowSort, which have now been completed. Accordingly, the
FlowSort has been signed off by the manufacturer, with Alexkor's
approval pending.
Whale Head Minerals (heavy mineral sands)
The Company is awaiting the grant of
a permit from the National Nuclear Regulator ("NNR") and can
confirm that all required submissions have now been made and
approved by NNR. The Company is confident that the permit will be
received imminently. Upon receipt, and implementation of any
further requests by the NNR, heavy mineral sands production will be
able to commence, with custom made, on-site plant and machinery
ready for processing.
Additionally, the Company remains
engaged with multiple parties in relation to offtake sales of the
various heavy mineral constituents.
Namibian operations
Discussions continue with various
third parties which have expressed an interest in the Namibian
project. The Company understand that Hebei Xinjiang ("Hebei")
continues to invest in the mine and is active at the adjacent
Orange River Pegmatite operations. Whilst the Company is confident
in its legal position in relation to the ownership of the shares in
TVM and its claim to approaching US$10m of due debt, it has not
rejected the idea of concluding a restructured deal with Hebei in
the near term. In the interim, Kazera remains the sole shareholder
in the Namibian subsidiaries.
Board Changes
It is intended that Dr John Wardle
will join the Board of Kazera in the role of Non-Executive
Chairman, subject to satisfactory completion of customary due
diligence by the Company's nominated adviser. He is currently
Executive Chairman of AIM-listed Ironveld plc and
was CEO of Amerisur Resources Plc, the AIM-listed
oil & gas company, from 2007 to 2020 when it was acquired for
approximately £242 million. Prior to this, he held roles with BP,
Britoil, Emerald Energy and Pebercan. A further announcement
regarding the proposed appointment of Dr Wardle to the Board will
be made in due course.
Peter Wilson, Non-Executive Director
of the Company, has given notice of his intention to resign from
the Board with effect from 30 October 2024.
Major Shareholder Change
As announced on 16 July 2024,
following the default by African Mineral Sands Pte Ltd ("AMS") on a
loan from Catalyse Capital Ltd and its related parties, including R
S & C A Jennings (together "Catalyse"), a total of 280,000,000
ordinary shares in the Company, representing 29.9% of the Company's
issued share capital, have been transferred from AMS to
Catalyse.
Dennis Edmonds, Chief Executive Officer of Kazera Global plc
commented: "The start of diamond sands
mining and processing at Deep Blue Minerals represents a major
milestone for our company, especially after years of challenges. We
are also optimistic about the imminent start of heavy mineral sands
production at Whale Head Minerals, given the strong indications
we've received regarding our National Nuclear Regulator permit.
This development is expected to generate significant cash
flow.
"I
would like to extend my gratitude to Peter Wilson for his
dedication and support over the past year. We look forward to
welcoming John as our new Chairman once the necessary approvals are
in place; his expertise and leadership will be invaluable, and we
are confident that he will open doors to a range of new
opportunities.
"To conclude, we remain confident in our strategic direction,
the promising future of our projects and our ability to create
material value for all shareholders."
**ENDS**
Kazera Global plc
Dennis Edmonds, CEO
|
kazera@stbridespartners.co.uk
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Ltd
(Nominated Adviser and Broker)
Derrick Lee / Pearl Kellie
(Corporate Finance)
|
Tel: +44
(0)207 220 0500
|
St Brides
Partners (Financial
PR)
Paul Dulieu / Isabel de Salis
|
kazera@stbridespartners.co.uk
|
About Kazera Global plc
Kazera is a global investment
company focused on leveraging the skills and expertise of its Board
of Directors to develop early-stage mineral exploration and
development assets towards meaningful cashflow and production. Its
three principal investments are as follows:
Alluvial diamond mining through Deep
Blue Minerals (Pty) Ltd, Alexander Bay, South Africa
Kazera currently has a 90% direct
interest in Deep Blue Minerals, of which 64% is held beneficially
by Kazera and 26% is held on behalf of Black Economic Empowerment
partners.
Heavy Mineral Sands mining
(including ilmenite, monazite, rutile, and zircon) through
Whale Head Minerals (Pty) Ltd, Alexander Bay, South
Africa.
Kazera currently has a 60% direct
beneficial interest in Whale Head Minerals.
Tantalite mining in South-East
Namibia (divestment in progress)
As announced on 20 December 2022,
Kazera has agreed to dispose of African Tantalum (Pty) Ltd
("Aftan") for a cash
consideration of US$13 million plus a debenture payment of 2.5% of
the gross sales of produced lithium and tantalum for life-of-mine.
Completion of the sale is subject to receipt of full consideration
proceeds. Aftan has been deconsolidated from the Company's
financial statements with effect from 4 January 2023 because in
accordance with the terms of the sale agreement, it has
relinquished control of the Aftan in favour of the purchaser, Hebei
Xinjian Construction Close Corp ("Hebei Xinjian") with effect from that
date. Kazera retains the right to cancel the transaction and retain
all amounts paid to date in the event of default by Hebei
Xinjian.
The Company will consider additional
investment opportunities as appropriate, having regard to the
Group's future cash flow requirements.