**Exhibit 12.1**

**CERTIFICATION**

** **

I, Daniel JohannesPretorius, certify that:

 

1)           Ihave reviewed this Annual Report on Form 20-F of DRDGOLD Limited.

 

2)           Based on my knowledge, thisAnnual Report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit tostate a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect to the period covered by this Annual Report.

 

3)           Based on my knowledge, thefinancial statements, and other financial information included in this AnnualReport, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periodspresented in this Annual Report.

 

4)           The Company's other certifyingofficer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosurecontrols and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined inExchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the Company and have:

 

a)            Designed such disclosurecontrols and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures tobe designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relatingto the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us byothers within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisAnnual Report is being prepared;

 

b)           Designed such internal controlover financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financialreporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assuranceregarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation offinancial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally acceptedaccounting principles; 

 

c)            Evaluated the effectivenessof the Company's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in thisAnnual Report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosurecontrols and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this AnnualReport based on such evaluation; and

 

d)           Disclosed in this AnnualReport any change in the Company's internal control over financial reportingthat occurred during the period covered by this Annual Report that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, theCompany's internal control over financial reporting.

 

5)           The Company's other certifyingofficer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internalcontrol over financial reporting, to the Company's auditors and the auditcommittee of the Company's board of directors (or persons performing theequivalent functions):

 

a)            All significant deficienciesand material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control overfinancial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect theCompany's ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

b)           Any fraud, whether or notmaterial, that involves management or other employees who have a significantrole in the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date:      October 31, 2018

 

/s/ Daniel Johannes Pretorius

Daniel Johannes Pretorius

Chief Executive Officer

 

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