CALEDONIA MINING ANALYSIS
I have watched this company for years and have always been amazed the tenacity of the management in dealing with the politics of what ever dictator is running the country it has operations out of. Their stand against the Zimbabwe government along with the other mining companies freed them from the grips of confiscation by the government of gold mined. Africa and it's dictators will in the next few years learn from this and when that happens there will be fortunes made on the continent by the small mining companies like Caledonia that have stayed the course and expanded under difficult conditions. Caledonia is an exploration, development and mining corporation focused on Africa. The Corporation’s primary assets are a gold operation in Zimbabwe, a base metals exploration project in Zambia (Nama), platinum group and base metals (PGE) projects in South Africa (Rooipoort/Mapochs) and a non-producing gold mine in South Africa (Eersteling) which has been identified for possible disposal. Caledonia also has diamond projects in Zambia and South Africa. Now that Blanket has been returned to a production level of approximately 550 tonnes per day (“tpd”) the focus is now on completing the No. 4 Shaft Expansion Project to achieve the planned 40,000 ounces of gold production per annum. In addition to the No. 4 Shaft Expansion Project, judicious expenditure on the essential sustaining capital expenditure will continue to progressively remedy the lack of investment over the last few years due to foreign currency shortages. Activity at Nama and Rooipoort/Mapochs properties will be determined by available cash resources.
Provided a satisfactory investment climate is created in Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean indigenization requirements and obligations are finally clarified and economically viable, Caledonia intends to make the significant capital investments in Blanket, which are required to sustain gold production at 40,000 ounces per annum. At the Nama base metals exploration project in Zambia, the ongoing field work supports their current understanding of the geological structure and the possible continuation into the Nama Project area of the Copperbelt style mineralization that exists on neighboring properties. Tenders have been called for an initial multi-hole, deep-level diamond drilling program to explore for Copperbelt style mineralization. This program is expected to commence in 2011 as soon as the ground conditions permit after the rainy season. Discussions with the South African Department of Mineral Resources continue regarding the extension of the period of the exploration plan previously submitted in respect of the Company’s exploration projects at Rooipoort and Mapochsgronde.”
Financial highlights for the Quarter and the nine months ended September 30.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2010 Caledonia generated revenue of $6.331 million from the sale of 4,934 ounces of gold at an average sale price of US$1,241 per ounce and a cash cost of US$651 per ounce, realizing a gross profit of $2.878 million and a net profit of $1.647 million. Commenting on the quarter’s performance, Stefan Hayden, President and CEO said: “I am pleased to report that gold production at the Blanket mine was 45% higher than in the previous quarter. This was an outstanding and highly commendable performance by the Blanket and Caledonia management teams. This increase in production was also due to the implementation of a revised mine plan, improved recoveries from the metallurgical plant and the installation of the first standby generator in late June. The generator has allowed underground operations to continue during interruptions to the normal electricity supply. Blanket’s cash costs decreased significantly from US$816 per ounce in the second quarter to US$651 per ounce in the third quarter. We expect that Blanket’s cash costs will continue to decrease as production increases to an annualized level of approximately 40,000 ounces of gold per annum by the end of 2010, following the commissioning of the No. 4 Shaft Expansion Project at the end of third quarter.
Caledonia will be big in Africa within 5 years and at it's current depressed price it is a bargain that will make you rich in the future. Their management as stated above is the key along with their diverse asset base that will make this a company you wished you would have bought at these very low prices.
