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Strange isn't it how Trump claims that everything American is so superior, yet he choose to ignore that not the USA internal airline system near falling to bits but that Boeing aircraft have also been discarding parts of their fuselage in flight over many years!
As part of my research re the timing of Josef's share disposals I asked Kees Dekker for hie thoughts and to be frank I feel that his opinion is likely one of the most valid and concerns the long term effects upping of the profit share to 50% and the parasitical effect of this which an awful lot of people myself included never seemed to fully appreciate !
07/2018
Hello T,
I suspect that it will be very difficult to prove insider trading by Mr El Raghy. As you point out management until recently did not appear to see problems coming. So how did Mr El Raghy see that?
I think proving otherwise will be nigh impossible!
What he must have seen coming is sharing the net free cash flow 50/5o, but this any shareholder should have seen coming as it was never a secret.
kind regards,
Kees
Hi Somnamma,
I did write to the company on several occasions re the timing of Josef's share sales, even tried via the company secretary to gets questions raised at the AGM, but this didn't happen?
I have a file of the various explanations from the company, in many respects they all seemed plausible although that said any opinion on the rationale behind theses sales does depend whether you are a retail investor or a member of the BOD !
If you recall Marmot, he offered some thoughts about 5 million share disposal LSE 07/2018
There is nothing significant in a regulatory sense about his shareholding at 4.67% today vs. 6% before the sales.
But leaving aside speculation about personal financial decisions there are several points about his stake which may be significant.
Firstly, although CEY has 1.15bn shares in issue almost half, 575m shares are held by 8 Co's and one individual. The May presentation on the CEY website reports that there were 9 large shareholders with holdings of 2.7% or more, owning 50.8% of the shares in issue. Even after his recent sale Josef El Raghy still ranks 3rd largest shareholder with 4.67% behind fund managers Blackrock 12.9% and Van Eck with 11.9%.
After the court case is resolved I think it reasonable to expect that some of these institutional shareholders will increase their stakes and others will take new holdings.
As the price rises and more holders become strong hands it will get more difficult to build stake of 2%-4% without bidding up the price. I expect Josef's stake to drop down from 3rd largest in the future as other institutions take 5% or larger stakes.
Perhaps these share sales were requested by some institutional buyers keen to get a slice before the court case was resolved.
Over the last few weeks Josef's 17.6m share sales have released 1.53% of the issued share capital back into the free float market.
I think one point worth noting is that all the sales came from Nordana Pty fund which Josef controls.
He has kept all of his and family trust shares.
So it is conceivable that Nordana was set up as a vehicle designed specifically to fund another opportunity? Perhaps if one comes up in Egypt?
Marmot
Hi Paul,
although I didn't put it in the last post along with some other shareholders in 2014 I attended the general meeting in Jersey in 2014 along , at that meeting Josef made several claims that turned out to be a complete crock!
Kees is a very experienced mining analyst and for a while he sent out analysis that looked beneath the surface of various miners reports which was free of charge retail investors , through that forum several friends of mine were able to avoid getting reeled in to several investments that were base on pie on the sky publicity that turned out to be complete money pits although some of the members did very well by following some of Kees's tips.
Due to the amount consultancy work Kees could no longer spare the time to continue with his monthly new sheet although he still does some analysis for https://www.cruxinvestor.com/
As pointed out by Kees in 2015,2018 Sukari and to the present time the Sukari underground operation that is so crucial to to viability of the operation.
Thank you 3 bear for your thoughts,
In the past I posted information from conversations with a well informed and well meaning acquaintance I whom I saw on the train on a regular basis, much of the information was very useful in dispelling misunderstanding and myths regarding the dispute regarding accusations over original Sukari concession agreement and on the accuracy of the press releases by the previous Sukari general manager in the Eygptian media.
Unfortunately though some of the information given to me by my acquaintance in good faith on their part then proved to be unreliable which was disappointing to say the least for all concerned and some members on here then criticised me for posting it and accused me of being too positive about the company.
In 2016 after concerns had been raised in the mining media regarding the seemingly inherent poor quality grade problems in the open pit I called Andrew Pardey and expressed my concerns as a shareholder, Andrew Pardey assured me that the analysts media article was based on inaccurate data and that the vain of low grades were only temporary and they would soon be through into much higher grades, he also assured that high grading was carried out in most mines on a temporary basis and all was well managed in the Sukari operation, sadly subsequent events prove this was a complete "Crock" the CEO had lied to me.
In 2018 much the same problems occurred only it was even worse this time because the poor open pit grades couldn't be supplemented by the higher underground grade because Andrew Pardey failed to oversee Bariminco the underground contactor properly who had allowed the sole LHDR to self destruct without any contingency plan or spare parts available , this was supposedly to save costs, although the result was an RNS warning of reduced guidance!
After this I again spoke with Andrew Pardey who assured me that lessons had been learnt, that these unexpected occurrences happen, but that lessons had been learnt and new methods and an additional LHDR had been ordered to mitigate any future interruptions to guidance!
Then what happens in 2020, I think you know that!
I'm afraid until i have some proof the verdict is still out on the new management and as to any ftse companies CEO's or BOD most of them are only in it to fill their saddle bags with swag and then ride off elsewhere leaving the shareholders to pay the bill, I trust them all as much as I would trust a rattle snake at a lucky dip!
Obviously everyone must make their own decisions based on their own research , but just be wary of the accuracy of the information that is made available!
Tibbs
A gold and silver supply shortage may coincide with an economic downturn and how investors can prepare for coming challenges by switching to sound money.
https://tinyurl.com/d5f6pacc
A trusted acquaintance forwarded the piece below to me,I appreciate it's cut and paste but I didn't see the point of rewriting it and its is some news about Centamin so it should at least keep some of the forum members at least half happy!
Egypt, Regional Exploration
Upon completing successful screening programs, the Fatiri and Atalla licenses were relinquished after indications of large mineralized systems were not observed.
Exploration programs are progressing on the Hamash-Sukari, where initial observations from the first phase exploration program have identified
features that are indicative of elevated prospective, including fertile intrusive s and a major, multikilometer, structural corridor associated with extensive alteration along extensional flexures.
An airborne geophysical survey is planned early in 2024 to support the generation of the first set of prioritized targets or drill testing.
https://tinyurl.com/ycx9bseu
Barrick has decided to dispose of quite a lot of Egyptian real estate all at once - and that without the modern geotechnical techniques to 'hunt for elephants' as Bristow likes to say - but noticeably staying with the concessions nearest Sukari which possibly indicates an interest in a future consolidation with Centamin?
Thank you for the reply Mr Bond,
My agenda as you put it is to encourage others to look a bit deeper into the finer detail of what they are being spoon fed rather than just accepting it on face value through their rose coloured glasses.
To enable any debate there needs to be different views and opinions on the subject in question, there wouldn't be any debate or any point of discussion forums like this if everyone just accepts the same corporate rhetoric.
What I find amusing is that you assume that I only have a small holding, my holding is such that I certainly don't feel guilty about speaking out, but that said its not the value of the shares which is my main cause of anger but the fact that share holders have been taken for mushroom's (Being kept in the dark whilst having loads of crap tipped on them) and have been misled and lied to on more than one occasion by the management.
Fair comments Tornado,
Unfortunately there is something still not right, the share price is a joke if the claimed potential of the company is true , likely one overriding factor is the loss of confidence, Centamin still hasn't shaken off the ghosts of it's past.
I'm bored with slick fast talking presentations going over much of what has already been said before, ,what's needed now is some proof of reliable guidance, reduced AISC and before too long the reinstatement of a decent dividend. deliverable.
I hope I am wrong, but I am expecting not a lot!
Mr Henderson,
I have written to those making the accusations and if they supply the proof then I shall forward it on the appropriate authorities for them to deal with .
I see no point in contacting Centamin as I have no faith they will take it seriously.
Shame but despite being a sizeable shareholder for over a decade I think there is some truth in Rebess's opinion Centamin is far too cosy with the Eygptian Mobb
Tibbs
Steve, credit where credit's due you are very adept at claiming to be so astute at trading , but if this were so then why mess about on a message board.
I think most of your posts are just wishful thinking in an attempt be a big fish in a very little pond.
If you aren't interested Mr Bond then why bother with replying ?
Kees Dekker's concerns over the state of Sukari in 2015 of 2018 despite Pardey trying to deny then and the BOD denying any knowledge of what was going on at Sukari have been proven to be correct in every case, the collapse of the share price and the loss of market confidence not to forget the halving of the dividend and the depletion of the company cash reserves are all the testament to the fact that shareholders were deliberately misinformed.
Come on Mr Bond you should be honest why you always leap to defend Centamin.
Feasibility studies are just that.
A feasibility study will typically include estimating the size and quality of the ore body, producing geotechnical information, researching metallurgic or mineral processing information, as well as researching similar projects, waste disposal, environmental factors, and potential risks!
There are no certainties, companies are quick to point this out after investors money has been flushed down the lavatory pan!
So far Centamin"s feasibility studies so far really haven't proven to be that reliable not only in Sukari but elsewhere where they have proven t be as much us as a chocolate teapot!
Fair question why didn't I get out in 2015?
Well several reasons , I didn't know that much about Kees Dekker a freelance analyst at that time, so I thought I should be able to trust in the integrity of Andrew Pardey a very senior member a of the Centamin BOD to carry out his duties with due diligence in the best interests of the shareholders.
Andrew Pardey claimed that all was basically well at the mine, but that these things happen in mining and that lessons had been learnt and changes made.
I realise now that i was foolish to give Andrew Pardey the benefit of the doubt and that far from being learnt if be known things had had carried on in the same old way, although to be fair things did seem to pick up until in 2018 hitting the unexpected poor grades in the open pit and this was made worse by the underground operation coming to a standstill due to the near self destruction of the sole LHDR without having the right spare parts available!
Yet again Pardey claimed these things happen mining, it was Barminco's fault , they were trying to save money by not having essential spare parts on site, it wont happen again!
If you recall even you Mr Bond and others with past experience of Sukai all agreed that these unpredictable things happen and so once again I chose to believe those that should be acting in my best interests and other shareholders who claim to have some knowledge of the mining industry
Then woulnt you know it https://www.sharesmagazine.co.uk/news/shares/centamin-plunges-as-production-hit-by-mine-trouble
oops, a cut and paste, still never mind!
So now I have no confidence that Centamin management are telling us the whole story or that Doropo is worth bothering with! Tibbs
To be honest Europe and America should be doing a great more to support Ukraine,
The situation in Niger is a case out of the frying pan into the fire , the danger of inviting in Wagner group who after all are in the main just mercenaries recruited from prisons and the criminal mafia who don't abide by any of the established international rules to prop up unstable, corrupt and week governments is that Wagner once entrenched is impossible to control or get rid of.
https://tinyurl.com/mrxkjd9d
I agree knowing the costs is important, but considering all the unknown facts and risks how can th cost be realistically calculated.
The same goes for the claimed results and alleged potential of Doropo, can they be entirely relied upon, I very much doubt it considering the many unknown factors, Centamin got it so wrong in the past, nothing can be taken for granted now.
Hi Quark3,
The majority of posts on here where information is to be shared include cut and paste detail, not that I can recall ever seeing any of your posts that ever contribute anything other than vitriol towards any member that you tale a dislike to.
So from you comments it seems that that that you feel any information that members come across possibly even regarding some development or occurrence that may affect Centamin is to be completely rewritten by each contributor.
I have copied and pasted links to a cross section of sources sources including an information paper from a UK cross party parliamentary committee regarding the increased threats to doing business in the region.
You may or may not realise it but many long term shareholders are aware it's all too easy to spend many millions of dollars (including shareholders potential returns) on drilling lots of holes for the sake of it on reserves of questionable or mediocre potential in areas where apolitical regime change and unrest or insurrection are such that abandonment of these projects at great loss is the only option
On what information that is available so far Doropo doesn't amount to a "Dripping roast" and most likely will turn out to be another potential money pit rather than a profitable gold mine.
It time to take off the rose coloured spectacle and face facts that the likelihood of Doropo turning out to be little more than yet another a expensive promise of sometime down the road the good times coming is very likely!
Far better to concentrate in Eygpt for the time being, there are more than enough new arras to develop with far less risk!
Pointless rubbish may be your opinion, some may beg to differ from you considering past experiences the Droop resource isn't t anything special and if loaded with the extra African costs this may turn out to be another loss of many millions of dollars spent pointlessly after the company decides to pull out because the project no longer fits in with their core criteria
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/centamin-seeks-buyers-for-burkina-faso-project-posts-lower-profit-2021-08-05
https://minesactu.info/en/2023/09/04/konkera-mine-centamin-mining-company-hands-over-its-batie-ouest-site-to-the-state/
In my experience there is an extra cost working in African countries. The productivity there is lower than elsewhere. In discussions with a director of SRK I told him that I do not subscribe to many unit mining cost estimates used for African countries in the economic assessment in technical reports. He confirmed to me that a SRK study had come up with an average unit rate of US$3.5/t mined for Africa. This includes drilling and blasting. I estimate for free dig material this should be some US$1/t lower.
About Batie, it is non-core in my mind because the very low grade makes it unattractive given the risks associated with a project in Africa and a political high-risk country at that.
Doropo is better, but still not fantastic.
No wonder they downgraded Batie.
kind regards,
Kees Dekker
Mining Analyst
Hi Dasut,
I appreciate that you had considerable experience in the field, but that said no matter how good the mining companies intentions or the quality of their contracted security companies from the information provided by multi national governmental agencies it is apparent that mining companies if they want to do business are being required to take sides by providing funding to one or other of the factions involved in these conflicts in the ongoing conflicts .
The Wagner Group has used infrastructure of the Russian Armed Forces. Evidence suggests that Wagner has been used as a proxy by the Russian government, allowing it to have plausible deniability for military operations abroad, and hiding the true casualties of Russia's foreign interventions.
https://www.ecofinagency.com/public-management/3005-44577-burkina-faso-mining-operators-should-not-support-any-armed-actions-me-bourgeois
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmfaff/167/report.html#heading-3
What should concern any Centamin shareholder is if Doropo is worth the investment considering the risks of it becoming unviable due to regional unrest and political corruption and instability .
Hi Dasut, no decent company with any morals or social conscience should have any involvement and certainly not employ private mercenaries to protect it whilst exploiting the countries people and its natural resources .
I doubt any private security company employed by a gold miner could stand up to to outfits like the Wagner Group they would just take what their are instructed to by their Moscow controllers .
Really can't see the Kremlin being at all interested in listening to Martin Horgan and his team on Investor Meet , you may recall how Putin kicked the BP CEO 's out under threat of imprisonment and tore up the contract.
May as well forget gold mining in West African region for the foreseeable future, nowhere is safe and its is getting worse!
"Gained access to natural resources on preferential terms, to the detriment of the national economy. In Sudan, Wagner-linked gold mining companies have benefited from generous concessions.144 The network appears to have a “chokehold” over Libya’s natural resources and export facilities; consequently, “Libyan oil output has drastically decreased”.145"
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmfaff/167/report.html#heading-3
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/4/28/white-hands-the-rise-of-private-militaries-in-african-conflict
Thank you for the reply Gino,
Thank you for that, but although the original Wagner leaders been eliminated by Putin the Wagner group is now rebranded the Africa Corps under the direct control of the Kremlin and part of the mission is to enable the Kremlin to have control of the regions natural resources, including gold mines.
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/russias-africa-corps-more-than-old-wine-in-a-new-bottle
https://theconversation.com/wagner-group-is-now-africa-corps-what-this-means-for-russias-operations-on-the-continent-223253
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/07/africa-corps-wagner-group-russia-africa-burkina-faso/
Centamin would be very brave or stupid to develop here!
Thank you Gino,
If you are trying to infer that the area is fee from insurgency and merceries the you are very wrong and Wagner group has been rebranded https://theconversation.com/wagner-group-is-now-africa-corps-what-this-means-for-russias-operations-on-the-continent-223253
On Jan. 24, Russia’s Africa Corps published the first images of a deployment to Burkina Faso on its Telegram channel. “A Russian contingent of 100 people will ensure the safety of the country’s leader, Ibrahim Traoré, and the Burkinabe people from terrorist attacks,” read a statement posted with the images. “In t
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/07/africa-corps-wagner-group-russia-africa-burkina-faso/
Wagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia’s Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed.
The infamous mercenary organization’s founders, Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, were killed in a plane crash in August 2023, two months after leading Wagner fighters in a march on Moscow to attempt a mutiny against the country’s defense forces.