PDF to be posted at http://www.anooraqresources.com
June 16, 2009 Vancouver, BC ? Anooraq Resources
Corporation (?Anooraq? or the ?Company?) (TSXV: ARQ;
NYSE Amex: ANO; JSE: ARQ) announces that all the resolutions proposed at the
annual general meeting (?AGM?) held on Monday, June 15, 2009 were passed by the
requisite majorities of votes. The following directors did not stand for
re-election at the AGM: Mr. Scott Cousens, Mr. Robert
Dickinson, Mr. David Elliott and Dr. Popo Molefe.
The board wishes to thank these directors for their contribution to the board
and the company over the past years and to wish each of them every success in
their future endeavours.
The Company also advises that all the relevant resolutions relating to the
acquisition by Anooraq of, among other things, an
effective 51% interest in Lebowa Platinum Mine (?Lebowa?) from Anglo Platinum Limited (?Anglo Platinum?)
(?the Acquisition?), as well as the resolutions relating to the amendments to
the stock option plan and the compensation transactions, were passed by the
requisite majorities of votes at the extraordinary general meeting held
immediately after the AGM on Monday, June 15, 2009.
All of the material agreements relating to the Acquisition, including
definitive funding agreements relating to:
* the provision of ZAR 750 million (C$103.6 million) of senior debt funding by
Standard Chartered Bank plc;
* the issue of cumulative redeemable ?A? preference shares to Rustenburg
Platinum Mines Limited (?RPM?), a wholly owned subsidiary of Anglo Platinum, in
order to raise ZAR 1.2 billion (C$0.17 billion);
* the issue of cumulative convertible ?B? preference shares to a special
purpose financing vehicle established between Anglo Platinum and Pelawan in order to raise ZAR 1.1 billion (C$0.15 billion);
* the provision by Anglo Platinum of two facilities - an operating cash flow
shortfall facility of up to a maximum of ZAR 750 million (C$103.6 million) and
a standby loan facility, comprising up to a maximum of 29/49 of RPM's attributable share of the free cash flows from Lebowa; and
* the provision by Anglo Platinum of approximately ZAR 150 million (C$20.7
million) to facilitate the participation of communities and Lebowa
employees in the transaction have been signed by the relevant parties.
The Company anticipates that the remaining conditions precedent to the
Acquisition will be fulfilled or waived by June 30, 2009 and that the
Acquisition will accordingly become unconditional with effect from July 1,
2009.
For further information on Anooraq and its South
African properties, please visit our website www.anooraqresources.com or call
investor services in South Africa at +27 11 883 0831 or in North America at 1
800 667 2114.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Philip Kotze
President and CEO
The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility
for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The NYSE Amex Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of
this press release.
Cautionary and Forward Looking Information
This release includes certain statements that may be
deemed "forward looking statements". All statements in this
release, other than statements of historical facts, that address potential
acquisitions, future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling,
exploitation activities and events or developments that Anooraq
expects are forward looking statements. Anooraq
believes that such forward looking statements are based on reasonable
assumptions, including assumptions that: the Transaction will complete; Lebowa will continue to achieve production levels similar
to previous years; Anooraq will be able to complete
its financing strategy on relatively favourable terms; and the Ga-Phasha and Platreef Project
exploration results will continue to be positive. Forward looking
statements however, are not guarantees of future performance and actual results
or developments may differ materially from those in forward looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation
and exploration successes, changes in and the effect of government policies
with respect to mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation and
continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market
or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements
are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or
developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward looking
statements. For further information on Anooraq,
investors should review the Company`s annual
information form filed on www.sedar.com or its form 20-F with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission and its other home jurisdiction filings that
are available at www.sedar.com.
.