Former De Beers Owners Block Gold Prospectors
July 06, 22
(IDEX Online) - The Oppenheimer family - which sold its stake in De Beers for $5.1bn - has been granted an interim court order to halt gold exploration at its ranch in Zimbabwe.
Nicky Oppenheimer (pictured), whose grandfather Sir Ernest Oppenheimer founded mining giant Anglo American, sought a high court injunction after a prospector's plane was spotted over the 65,000-hectare Shangani Ranch, conducting an aerial geophysical survey.
The family argued that Pearline Mineral Exploration did not possess an environmental impact assessment certificate, which is a legal requirement for mineral prospecting.
The ranch, which has belonged to the family since 1937, is home to 8,000 cattle, 400 employees 400 people and 350 elephants.
The plane was flown by South African company Pearline Mineral Exploration on behalf of Canadian company Duration Gold, according to South Africa's News24.