Gold Fields Ltd. History



Address:
24 St. Andrews Road
Parktown, 2193
Postnet Suite 252
Private Bag X30500
Houghton, 2041
South Africa

Telephone: (11) 644 2400
Fax: (11) 484 0626

Public Company
Incorporated: 1887 as the Gold Fields of South Africa Ltd.
Employees: 48,000
Sales: $1.53 billion (2003)
Stock Exchanges: South Africa New York London Paris Brussels Swiss
Ticker Symbol: GFI
NAIC: 212221 Gold Ore Mining

Company Perspectives:

Our vision is to be the leading, value-adding, globally diversified, precious metals producer through the responsible, sustainable, and innovative development of quality assets.

Key Dates:

1887:
Gold Fields of South Africa is formed by Cecil Rhodes and Charles Rudd.
1895:
George and Leopold Albu create the General Mining and Finance Corp.
1897:
The predecessor to Union Corp. is created by Adolf Goertz.
1932:
West Witwatersrand Areas Ltd. is formed to work the West Wits Line.
1965:
General Mining merges with Federale Mynbou.
1971:
West Wits takes over all of Gold Fields of South Africa's assets as well as its name.
1980:
Gencor Ltd. is born out of the merger between General Mining and Finance Corporation and Union Corporation.
1998:
Gold Fields of South Africa and Gencor merge to form Gold Fields Ltd.
2003:
The company enacts its first Black Economic Empowerment transaction to fulfill the new Mining Charter.

Company History:

Further Reading:

  • "All That Glitters: Gencor," Economist, March 9, 1996.
  • Benjamin, Paul, "Mining Stands on the Brink of New Era," Business Day, September 20, 1996.
  • Beresford, Belinda, "Gencor to Separate Gold, Other Interests," Business Day, June 2, 1997.
  • "Business: Panned," Economist, February 7, 1998, p. 65.
  • Cartwright, A.P., Gold Paved the Way: The Story of the Gold Fields Group of Companies, London: Macmillan, 1967.
  • Consolidated Gold Fields, London: Counter Information Services, 1973.
  • Consolidated Gold Fields PLC: Partner in Apartheid, London: Counter Information Services, 1986.
  • Dhliwayo, Dominic, "Mega Aluminum Smelter for Maputo?" African Business, January 1997, pp. 27-28.
  • "Empowerment Deal for Gold Fields," Mining Journal, June 13, 2003, p. 393.
  • Freimond, Chris, "Rob Angel--Driving Engen," Executive, May 1990.
  • "Gencor to Shed Base Metals and Buy Australian Nickel," New York Times, June 19, 1997.
  • "Gold Fields Looks to Expand Abroad," Platt's Metals Week, November 24, 2003, p. 4.
  • Green, Timothy, The New World of Gold, New York: Walker and Co., 1981.
  • Johnson, Paul, Consolidated Gold Fields: A Centenary Portrait, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1987.
  • Jones, J.D.F., Through Fortress and Rock: The Story of Gencor 1895-1995, Johannesburg: J. Ball, 1996.
  • Kilalea, Des, "Gencor Looks Ahead," Finance Week, April 27-May 3, 1989.
  • McKay, David, "Gencor, Australian Firm in Indonesian Deal," Business Day, October 23, 1996.
  • ------, "Gencor to Revise Mozambique Plan," Business Day, February 26, 1997.
  • McNulty, Andrew, "Man of the Year--Gencor's Derek Keys," Financial Mail, December 25, 1987.
  • Ross, Priscilla, "Implats' Impasse," African Business, June 1996, p. 22.
  • ------, "Birth of a New Giant," African Business, April 1998, p. 14.
  • Ryan, Brendan, "GFSA-Gencor Gold Merger," Financial Mail, October 17, 1997, p. 32.
  • Scudder, Brian, "Tiny Shouts, But Nobody Listens," African Business, January 1996, p. 23.
  • "South African Conglomerates: The Unbundling Begins," Economist, May 15, 1993.
  • "South African Gold: A New Vein," Economist, September 27, 1997.
  • "South African Gold Giants to Combine," New York Times, October 11, 1997, p. D14.
  • "Unbundling: Restructuring the Corporate Scene," Barron's, October 11, 1993, p. 72.

Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol.62. St. James Press, 2004.

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