The International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI) announced today that Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited has submitted an amended signatory application, temporarily withdrawing its Kalgold Mine in South Africa as an operation designated for certification. This is a voluntary action by the company, which has informed ICMI that it is presently in the process of upgrading the operation’s infrastructure, and thus is unable to successfully undergo independent third-party certification within the required timeframe established by the Code. Harmony has indicated to ICMI that it is diligently working to achieve certification at the site, and will redesignate the Kalgold Mine for certification as quickly as possible.
The Code is a voluntary industry program for companies involved in the production of gold using cyanide and companies producing and transporting this cyanide. It was developed under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme by a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee. The Code is intended to complement an operation’s existing obligation to comply with the applicable laws and regulations of the political jurisdictions in which the operation is located.
ICMI has been established to administer the Code, promote its adoption, evaluate its implementation, and manage the certification process. A detailed list of the operations covered by signatory companies’ applications, along with the full text of the Code and its implementing and administrative documents, are available at www.cyanidecode.org.
Date:
Friday, March 12, 2010