SpaceX IPO launches today. Join the conversation.Click here

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksPetra Diamonds Regulatory News (PDL)

Share Price Information for Petra Diamonds (PDL)

Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
7.10    -0.72 (-9.21%)
Bid:
7.10
Ask:
7.48
Spread: 0.38 (5.352%)
Market Cap: £23.81m
PDL Live PriceLast checked at - London Stock Exchange

Intraday Petra Diamonds Share Chart

Refinancing of BEE partner loans

25 Nov 2014 07:00

RNS Number : 8618X
Petra Diamonds Limited
25 November 2014
 



 

 

25 November 2014

LSE: PDL

 

 

Petra Diamonds Limited

("Petra" or the "Company" or the "Group")

 

Refinancing of BEE partner loans

 

 

Petra Diamonds Limited announces that the Company and its Black Economic Empowerment partners in the Finsch and Cullinan mines (the "BEE Partners") have entered into agreements with Absa Corporate and Investment Banking ("Absa") and FirstRand Bank Limited (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) ("RMB"), who will directly finance the BEE Partners in respect of the loans due to Petra of R1,078 million (US$98.0 million) relating to the original acquisition of the BEE Partners' interests in Finsch and Cullinan (together "the mines").

 

 

Background

· The BEE Partners in Finsch and Cullinan are Senakha Mining Investments (Pty) Limited, Thembinkosi Mining Investments (Pty) Limited and the Petra Diamonds Employee Trust ("PDET").

 

· When Petra and the BEE Partners acquired the Finsch and Cullinan mines from De Beers, Petra agreed to finance the BEE Partners' 26% share in each mine. These loans to the BEE Partners by Petra were subject to normal commercial interest rates and were due to be repaid to the Company out of the Finsch and Cullinan mine free cashflows.

 

Refinancing Agreement

· Absa and RMB (together Joint Mandated Lead Arrangers, or "MLAs") have agreed to lend directly to the BEE Partners in order to settle the loans due to Petra of R1,078 million (US$98.0 million).

 

· The BEE Partners will now repay Absa and RMB from their share of cashflows from Finsch and Cullinan; the loan repayment schedules have been prudently structured to allow for flexibility around on-mine cashflows and loan repayments.

 

· The refinancing means that:

(i) the loans due by the BEE Partners to Petra are settled some three to four years sooner than previously would have been the case; and

(ii) the employees of Petra's South African operations (the beneficiaries of the PDET) will receive their first trust distribution in December 2014, some three to four years earlier than was previously expected to be the case.

 

Use of Funds by Petra

· Petra will apply the funds flowing from the refinancing to its Group treasury, further strengthening the balance sheet and confirming the commencement of dividends for the current financial year (the year to 30 June 2015).

 

 

Johan Dippenaar, Chief Executive of Petra, commented:

"The re-financing of the BEE Partner loans is a validation by Absa and RMB of the quality of Petra's asset base, cashflows and management team. The repayment of these loans significantly strengthens the Company's balance sheet, enhances flexibility and places Petra in a strong position financially."

 

 

Note:

An exchange rate of US$1:R11.00 has been used for the purposes of this announcement.

 

 

~ Ends ~

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Petra Diamonds, London

Telephone: +44 20 7494 8203

Cathy Malins

cathy.malins@petradiamonds.com

Cornelia Grant

cornelia.grant@petradiamonds.com

 

Buchanan

(PR Adviser)

Telephone: +44 20 7466 5000

Bobby Morse

Louise Mason

bobbym@buchanan.uk.com

louisem@buchanan.uk.com

 

RBC Capital Markets

(Joint Broker)

Telephone: +44 20 7653 4000

Matthew Coakes

Jonathan Hardy

matthew.coakes@rbccm.com

jonathan.hardy@rbccm.com

 

Barclays

(Joint Broker)

Telephone: +44 20 7623 2323

Bertie Whitehead

bertie.whitehead@barclays.com

Marcus Jackson

marcus.jackson@barclays.com

 

 

About Petra Diamonds Limited

Petra Diamonds is a leading independent diamond mining group and an increasingly important supplier of rough diamonds to the international market. The Company has interests in five producing mines: four in South Africa (Finsch, Cullinan, Koffiefontein and Kimberley Underground) and one in Tanzania (Williamson). It also maintains an exploration programme in Botswana.

 

Petra offers an exceptional growth profile, with a core objective to steadily increase annual production to 5 million carats by FY 2019. The Group has a major resource base in excess of 300 million carats.

 

Petra conducts all operations according to the highest ethical standards and will only operate in countries which are members of the Kimberley Process. Petra is quoted with a premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker 'PDL' and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

 

For more information, visit the Company's website at www.petradiamonds.com.

 

About the BEE Partners

The BEE Partners include various commercial BEE entities as well as the PDET. More information on Petra's BEE partners and mine ownership levels can be found here: http://www.petradiamonds.com/about-us/group-structure/summary-of-mine-ownership.

 

The PDET, of which Petra's South African employees are the beneficiaries, holds a 5% interest in Finsch and a 12% interest in Cullinan.

 

Senakha Mining Investments (Pty) Limited ("Senakha")is the commercial BEE partner in Finsch, with a 21% interest in the mine. Senakha is a consortium of BEE mining companies, namely Sedibeng Mining (Pty) Limited (17%), Lexshell 844 Investments (Pty) Limited (2%) and Namoise Mining (Pty) Limited (2%).

 

Thembinkosi Mining Investments (Pty) Limited ("Thembinkosi") is the commercial BEE partner in Cullinan, with a 14% interest in the mine. Thembinkosi is a consortium of BEE mining companies, namely Sedibeng Mining (Pty) Limited (6.16%), Umnotho weSizwe Group (Pty) Limited (5.04%) and Namoise Mining (Pty) Limited (2.8%).

 

 

About Absa

Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, a division of Absa Bank Limited and a member of Barclays, is a leading South African corporate and investment bank with global reach, offering clients financing, risk management and advisory solutions in a wide range of currencies and structures across the globe. For more information, visit www.absacapital.com.

 

 

About RMB

RMB, a division of the FirstRand Bank Limited, is a leading diversified financial services brand encompassing investment banking, fund management, private wealth management and advisory services. The bank offers innovative financing solutions to its clients in South Africa and across Africa. For more information, visit www.rmb.co.za.

 

 

 

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
 
END
 
 
MSCBLBDBXUDBGSS
Date   Source Headline
29th Sep 20117:00 amRNSSignificant Shareholding
20th Sep 201112:10 pmRNSBlock Admission Return
19th Sep 20117:00 amRNSPreliminary Results
14th Sep 201111:30 amRNSCompletion of Finsch Diamond Mine Acquisition
25th Aug 201112:17 pmRNSSignificant Shareholding
22nd Aug 20117:00 amRNSNotice of Results
17th Aug 20114:58 pmRNSNotification of Major Interest in Shares
16th Aug 20117:00 amRNSFinsch Acquisition Update
19th Jul 20117:00 amRNSTrading Update - Year ended 30 June 2011
7th Jul 20117:00 amRNSDirector Change
13th May 20114:16 pmRNSNotification of Major Interest in Shares
13th May 20117:00 amRNSAcquisition of Finsch Diamond Mine - Update
5th May 20114:04 pmRNSExercise of Warrants
18th Mar 20117:00 amRNSBlock Admission and Block Admission Return
21st Feb 20117:00 amRNSInterim Results
7th Feb 20117:00 amRNSNotification of major interest in shares
3rd Feb 20112:34 pmRNSExercise of Warrants
31st Jan 20112:45 pmRNSNotification of major interest in shares
31st Jan 201112:44 pmRNSSignificant Shareholding
27th Jan 20114:12 pmRNSNotification of major interest in shares
27th Jan 20112:44 pmRNSNotification of major interest in shares
26th Jan 20117:00 amRNSExercise of Warrants
21st Jan 20117:00 amRNSAcquisition & Placing
12th Jan 20117:00 amRNSTrading Update - Six months ended 31 December 2010
10th Jan 201111:52 amRNSResult of Annual General Meeting
15th Dec 20103:59 pmRNSAnnual Report and Notice of AGM
13th Dec 20107:00 amRNSIncrease in Koffiefontein
8th Dec 201010:32 amRNSExercise of Warrants
16th Nov 20101:57 pmRNSSignificant Shareholding
5th Nov 20101:35 pmRNSExercise of Warrants
4th Nov 20107:00 amRNSCompletion of IFC / RMB Debt Facilities
29th Sep 20107:00 amRNSIFC / RMB Debt Facility Agreements Signed
20th Sep 20101:36 pmRNSBlock Admission and Block Admission Return
20th Sep 20107:00 amRNSPreliminary Results
26th Aug 20109:00 amRNSNotice of Results
20th Jul 20107:00 amRNSTrading Update
2nd Jun 20107:00 amRNSFacilities to Fund Williamson & Cullinan Expansion
24th May 20107:00 amRNSCompletion of Kono Project Divestment
19th May 20107:00 amRNSCompletion of Kimberley Underground Acquisition
11th May 201011:56 amRNSNomad and Joint Broker Change of Name
4th May 20107:00 amRNSDivestment of Kono Project - Sierra Leone
4th May 20107:00 amRNSAcquisition of Kono Diamond Project
17th Mar 201011:51 amRNSDirectors' Dealings - Grant of Share Options
17th Mar 20107:00 amRNSBlock Admission and Block Admission Return
26th Feb 20109:05 amRNS507 Carat Diamond Sells For US$35.3 million
22nd Feb 20107:00 amRNSInterim Results
19th Feb 20107:00 amRNSNotification Of Major Interest In Shares
10th Feb 20107:00 amRNSBoard Appointment
2nd Feb 20107:00 amRNSPetra Unveils The Cullinan Heritage
1st Feb 20107:00 amRNSAppointment of RBC Capital Markets as Joint Broker

Due to London Stock Exchange licensing terms, we stipulate that you must be a private investor. We apologise for the inconvenience.

To access our Live RNS you must confirm you are a private investor by using the button below.