Mining Weekly discussed this in a Zoom interview with DRDGOLD CEO Niël Pretorius and DRDGOLD CFO Riaan Davel, which we now publish following last week’s declaration of an eighteenth consecutive financial year of dividend payout by the company that on April 25 will celebrate 130 years of being listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Gold tailings retreatment company DRDGOLD, whose profits were buoyed by a strong gold price, has set its eyes on exploring gold and copper opportunities elsewhere but insists it will not overpay for mediocre assets.

The mining house DRDGOLD, which owns Far West Gold Recoveries between Carletonville and Fochville, released excellent results this week. According to a spokesperson for the company, Jane Kamau, the company reported an estimated 28% increase in revenue for the six months ended December 31, 2024, over that of the previous six months.

Although it was overcast and rainy during the presentation of results, DRDGOLD CFO Riaan Davel made the point that the half-year financials reflected a “very sunny” performance and “really good trends”, which included the operating profit of Ergo being a whopping 92% higher at R828.7-million.

DRDGOLD het vandag finansiële resultate bekendgemaak en ‘n toename van 65% in verdienste aangekondig. Die uitvoerende hoof, Niël Pretorius, gesels oor die resultate.

Jimmy and Riaan discussed the favourable gold price and the good half year results. They also touched on the acquisitions that contributed to the results and the dividends paid out.

A glittering gold price has helped lift DRDGold half-year headline earnings per share by 65%. Business Day TV took a closer look at the numbers with the miner's CFO, Riaan Davel.

He was commenting during the group’s interim results ended December on Tuesday in which the company rewarded shareholders with a 30 South African cents per share interim payout by virtue of a 26% increase in its average received gold price. The higher gold price resulted in a 65% increase in the bottom line.

The miner, which recovers gold from tailing and dumps, said a solid operating performance for the half-year enabled it to take advantage of a 26% increase in gold price to R1 478 663 per kg, which lifted revenue by 28% to R3.8 billion and boosted operating profit by 74% to R1.57 billion.

“The gold price performed really well, and, as an unhedged producer, we were able to take full advantage of the 26% rise in the average rand gold price received to R1,478,663/kg,” said CEO Niël Pretorius. Gold production was up 1% at 82,434oz, while gold sales rose by the same percentage to 82,531oz. All-in-sustaining costs were up 6% to $1,670/oz.