This is Impala's first project outside South Africa. In addition, in June 2000 Impala purchased the entire South African shareholding of Platexco, the Toronto-listed platinum exploration firm at a cost of SA R898 million. AngloGold, the world's leading gold producer and part of the Anglo American stable announced recently that it has reached agreement with Rubicon Minerals to explore for gold in north-west Ontario. This was the largest foreign investment in SA's gold sector in 50 years and has seen Placer Dome taking management control of this long-life mine. In a smaller, but still illustrative move, the Vergenoeg Fluorspar mine at Cullinan was added to the gold, coal, antimony and copper operations managed by Metorex which is owned by the Vancouver-based Crew Group.
Canadian companies are active in the diamond sector, both in prospecting and production.
The Nova Scotia-based Mountain Lake Resources has opened four diamond mines in the past year in South Africa and will open another two in the next few months. In March 2000, Caussa Capital Corporation confirmed the commissioning of a new diamond recovery plant at Witkrans in the North West province. Prospecting in due to begin at additional properties in Mpumalanga. Sonora Diamond Corp.'s Klipdam alluvial mine near Kimberley has been in production since 1996. The true potential of Marsfontein, said to be the richest kimberlite being mined anywhere in the world, was determined by this Canadian company, which concluded an agreement for the joint mining of the project with De Beers.