OUR HISTORY

Trans Hex has been in the diamond mining industry for nearly 50 years.

The company was originally incorporated in South Africa as Buffelsbank Diamante on 30 December 1963. It was subsequently appointed as a contractor to the then Small Business Development Corporation of South Africa to prospect for diamonds on the state-owned Komaggas farm in Namaqualand.

The Komaggas Mine was officially opened in 1968 and, shortly thereafter, Buffelsbank Diamante entered into additional development agreements with the State to mine diamonds in Namaqualand. Then in 1972, with the newly acquired mining rights in mind, Buffelsbank Diamante acquired Baken Diamante (Proprietary) Limited from Allied Minerals Limited.

In 1973, Buffelsbank Diamante was acquired by the newly established company, Trans Hex Beleggings. This acquisition was effectively the start of Trans Hex as an operating company. In the first decade of its existence Trans Hex grew rapidly by acquiring a number of mines which significantly increased its diamond mining assets.

In 1980 the Rembrandt Group acquired 50% of Trans Hex Beleggings and Trans Hex Group was established as the holding company.

These structural changes enabled Trans Hex to apply for a listing on the JSE, which was granted in 1981. In 1999 a dual listing on the Namibia Stock Exchange was obtained.

In the 2000’s Trans Hex expanded into Africa by acquiring a stake in three diamond projects in the Lunda Norte province of Angola, approximately 1 000 km northeast of Luanda.

In 2010, Remgro unbundled its stake in Trans Hex and all Remgro shareholders were offered a direct shareholding in Trans Hex. The company’s largest shareholders are now Regarding Capital Management Limited (27.5%) and Mvelaphanda Resources Limited (20.3%).

Most recently, in May 2011, Trans Hex signed an agreement, together with investment partners, to acquire Namaqualand Mines from De Beers Consolidated Mines in a deal valued at R225m.

WHAT WE DO

Trans Hex is a world-class player in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds of the highest quality. The company’s head office is situated in Cape Town, South Africa.

The company has established mining operations in South Africa. Its flagship operation, Baken Mine, is situated on the banks of the lower Orange River about 60km from Alexander Bay.

The Richtersveld Operations are situated further upriver and include the Bloeddrift, Reuning and Nxodap operations.

In Angola, Trans Hex holds a 33% stake in Sociedade Mineira Luana (Somiluana), a fully operational alluvial mine where Trans Hex is also the appointed mining operator. The company also has minority interests in the Luarica and Fucauma projects, both of which are currently on care and maintenance programmes.

As part of its local beneficiation strategy Trans Hex has established a joint venture company, Urembo Diamonds, in Johannesburg. This is a small-scale black economically empowered polishing factory, which is now fully operational, with significant potential to increase its production levels in the future.

HOW WE DO IT

Trans Hex has an ongoing focus on exploration and new business activities in order to increase reserves. The company is led by a strong management team with extensive understanding of the diamond mining industry and regulatory environments. We are fully compliant with the Mining Charter requirements in terms of BBBEE status.

We support community development, empowerment and sustainability, especially in those communities where our mining operations take place. We back this up by employing the majority of our staff from local areas and we are committed to continuously improving skills through training and development.

Trans Hex is committed to the highest standards of integrity, behaviour and ethics in its dealings with all stakeholders. The company and its directors are committed to good corporate governance as outlined in the King III Report.

More information regarding our vision and mission and our approach to ethics and governance is available in our annual report.