Management
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Executive: mineral resources development and growth
Jaco Boshoff (45)
BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, Pr Sci Nat
Jaco joined Harmony in April 1996. He has been in the mining industry for 18 years, initially as a geologist. Most of his career has been spent with Harmony, progressing from ore reserve manager at various operations to the executive responsible for reserves and resources. He has been Harmony’s designated competent person for statutory reserves and resources reporting since 2004.
Executive: human resources
Anton Buthelezi (50)
National diploma (Human Resources Management), BTech (Labour Relations Management), advanced diploma in labour law
Anton rejoined Harmony in 2005 as human resources manager at Evander. He has over 23 years’ experience in human resources management in the mining industry. Previous positions include senior human resources officer at Anglogold Ashanti Limited, and mid and senior managerial positions in the same field at ARMgold, Samancor Chrome and Harmony. He has a proven track record in the full spectrum of human resources functions as a generalist. Anton has an outstanding record in managing labour matters especially conducting and guiding negotiations with organised labour. He participates in the Chamber of Mines’ Gold Sector Caucus.
Executive: legal, governance and ethics
Matthews Pheello Dikane (48)
LLB, LLM (Labour Law), postgraduate diplomas in management practice and corporate law, MBL
Pheello joined Harmony in 2009. He has 21 years’ experience in the mining industry. He started his career as a learner official (mining) and progressed to production mine overseer at AngloGold Ashanti Limited. During this time, he studied for his law degrees and then served articles at Perrott Van Niekerk Woodhouse Inc. After being admitted as an attorney, he returned to AngloGold Ashanti’s corporate office as a legal counsel, later joining Brink Cohen Le Roux as a senior associate where he became a director. He is also a board member of Highway Hospice.
Executive: environmental management
Melanie Naidoo-Vermaak (39)
BSc (Hons) (Industrial Microbiology) (UKZN), MSc (Sustainable development) (UJ) and MBA (University of Southern Queensland, Australia)
Melanie joined Harmony in 2009. Her expertise in sustainable development was built over 15 years in the private mining sector and public sector in South Africa as well as international environmental management exposure gained in the United Kingdom, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Africa. She has worked at leading international mining companies, including De Beers, BHP Billiton Limited and Anglo American Plc. She currently holds directorships at Western Basin Environmental Corporation (Pty) Ltd, Harambe Mineral Resources (Pty) Ltd and Phoenix Corporation (Business Ventures Investment No 1 692 (Pty) Ltd), is chair of both Harmony’s environmental trust and community ownership trust and is a member of Harmony’s social trust. In addition she is a member of Chambers Environmental Policy Committee, Far West Rand Dolomitic Water Association and Mining Industries Group. She is also a board member of CareSA.
Chief operating officer: South Africa
Alwyn Pretorius (43)
BEng (Mining Engineering), BEng (Industrial Engineering), Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competence
Alwyn joined Harmony on its merger with ARMgold Limited in 2003. He has 20 years of underground deep-level gold mining experience in different supervisory and management positions. Before assuming his current role, he was the executive responsible for Health and Safety. He also serves as a member of the Gold Producers’ Committee of the chamber of mines and as the chairman of the board of directors of Mine Rescue Services.
Executive: corporate and investor relations
Marian van der Walt (41)
BCom (Law), LLB BCom (Law), Higher Diploma in Tax, Diplomas in Corporate Governance and Insolvency Law, Certificates in Business Leadership (Wits and UJ)
Marian, an admitted attorney and conveyancer, has been employed by Harmony since February 2003. She was appointed company secretary of Harmony in 2003 and joined its executive committee in 2005 as executive: legal and compliance (which included taking responsibility for company secretarial, risk management, internal audit and Sarbanes- Oxley compliance). In 2008, she resigned as company secretary, enabling her to accept her current position at Harmony as executive: corporate and investor relations. Marian began her career as attorney and conveyancer in 1998 and held positions at Routledge Modise Attorneys, Deloitte and Touche and the Standard Bank of South Africa Limited prior to joining Harmony. Marian also serves on the board of Rand Refinery (Pty) Ltd as nonexecutive director, is a member of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Social Responsibility Index Advisory Committee and the Chamber of Mines Communications Committee.
Chief executive officer: south east Asia
Johannes van Heerden (42)
BCompt, CA (SA) (Hons)
Johannes joined Harmony in 1998 and was appointed chief executive officer of Harmony’s south-east Asia operations in 2008. He is responsible for Harmony’s Papua New Guinea assets including an extensive exploration portfolio and the Morobe Mining Joint Ventures’ assets (Hidden Valley mine, Wafi-Golpu project and Morobe exploration, held in equal partnership with Newcrest Mining Limited). He joined Harmony as financial manager with operational and group reporting responsibility for the Free State region. He was appointed group financial manager in 2001, and relocated to Harmony south east Asia as chief financial officer two years later.
Executive: risk management and services improvement
Abre van Vuuren (54)
BCom, Development Programme in Labour Relations (Unisa), Management Development Programme (Unisa), Advanced Labour Law Programme (Unisa), Board Leadership Programme (Gordon Institute of Business Science)
Abré joined Harmony in 1997. He has over 30 years’ experience in the mining industry, specifically finance and human resources, on various gold mines and collieries in the Rand Mines Group. As a member of Harmony’s executive committee, he was initially responsible for industrial relations. He has held various positions in services and human resources prior to accepting his current position.
REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGERS
Regional general manager (responsible for Masimong, Joel, Unisel and Bambanani mines)
James Mufara (40)
B.Sc. (Hons) (Mining), MBA
James joined Harmony in 2011 as a General Manager. He has been a Regional General Manager since 2012, a title previously known as Operating Officer. James has gained extensive operational and management experience in mining asbestos, nickel and gold, collectively having 17 years of experience in the mining industry. He has worked in Zimbabwe and South Africa. He was previously a council member of the prestigious Association of Mine Managers of South Africa.
Regional general manager (responsible for Target, Phakisa and Tshepong mines)
Beyers Nel (37)
B. Eng (Mining Engineering), MBA, Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency, Professional Engineer (Pr. Eng)
Beyers joined Harmony with the merger with ARMgold in 2003. He has 14 years’ experience in gold mining on a variety of opencast, deep and ultra-deep level gold mines in different supervisory and management positions. Before assuming his current role, he was general manager of Harmony’s Phakisa mine. Beyers currently serves on the Council of the Association of Mine Managers of South Africa.
Regional general manager (responsible for Kusasalethu, Doornkop and Kalgold mines)
Phillip Tobias (44)
B.Sc (Mining Engineering Degree), Wits International Executive Development Programme and GIBS Advanced Management Programme
Phillip Tobias joined Harmony on 1 July 2014 as the regional general manager for Kusasalethu, Doornkop and Kalgold. He has been in the mining industry for 20 years, initially as a postgraduate mining engineer with Gold Fields Limited at their various operations. His operational and managerial experience was developed at a number of both gold and platinum mines. Prior to joining Harmony, he was consulting mining engineer for Anglo American Platinum Joint Venture Operations. He was named the first black President of the Association of the Mine Managers of South Africa in 2008.