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Thursday, June 4, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

The illegal miners death toll at South African gold producer Harmony Gold's Eland shaft has now reached 76, after more bodies were found on Thursday morning.

Spokesperson Marian van der Walt told Mining Weekly Online that the bodies of another 15 miners had been brought to surface at the abandoned shaft, near Welkom, in the Free State.

The deaths follow an apparent underground fire. It was suspected that the people died of smoke and gas inhalation.

Van der Walt said that it remained uncertain what the extent of the incident was, and whether or not more bodies would be found.

Almost 100 people have now died as a result of illegal mining activities this year alone, after 20 trespassing miners were killed at gold junior Pan African's Consort mine, in Barberton, in March.

The Provisional liquidators for struggling gold producer Pamodzi Gold, the SBT Trust, have confirmed that Harmony Gold had made a bid for the junior company's Free State operations.

Provisional liquidator Enver Motala said that the group viewed the Harmony offer as "serious", as it met all the conditions that the liquidators required.

Harmony spokesperson Marian van der Walt stated that Pamodzi's Free State operations offered several logical synergies with its own operations in the Free State province.

She noted that not only would an acquisition of these assets offer Harmony the opportunity for water pumping, ventilation, tailings disposal and processing at the Pamodzi plants, it would also give Harmony the opportunity to add to its gold grade portfolio.

However, Motala stated that Harmony wasn't the only company making a bid for the Free State operations.

Also making headlines:

BHP Billiton offers iron ore indices to Chinese steelmakers.
Both the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity reject South Africa's gold companies' 6% wage offer.
South African gold-miner Gold Fields' decision to sell its 19,9% stake in Sino Gold wouldn't change the company's aspiration to grow its international production.
And, Lonmin says that 96,38% of its shareholders had accepted its 457-million-dollar rights issue.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit miningweekly.com.