
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
You are viewing the World Edition
Choose the news you want to read
View the site in World Edition, UK News Edition
Canadian News Edition or Australian News Edition

View full financial data |
Bezant (pr Bay-zant) is an AIM listed company specialising in natural resource exploration and development, with a principal focus on [early-stage] projects in key commodity sectors. It takes its name from a medieval gold, silver and copper coin, regarded as being of the highest quality and used for trade and commerce throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
The company currently has interests in two exciting assets: a copper-gold porphyry project in the Philippines (the Mankayan Project) and a gold project in Tanzania (the Mkurumu Project).
Philippines
The Philippines is the fifth-most endowed country in the world in terms of mineral resources and is home to some of the world’s biggest under-exploited deposits of gold and copper. It also benefits from one of the most liberal mining regimes in the region. The Mining Act of 1995 allows for 100% foreign-equity participation through Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs) with local miners. In addition, the Filipino government has in recent years sought to promote foreign mining investment by providing various tax and non-tax incentives and has established the Mineral Development Council to assist foreign investors in expediting access to mining projects.
Mining investment in the country has steadily increased in recent years, with the Filipino Chamber of Mines forecasting an estimated US$1.55 billion of mining investment in 2008 and US$2.76 billion in 2009 (compared with an estimated US$350 million in 2007). The Chamber, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau predict that the contribution of mining exports to the Philippines’ total export figures will continue to increase year-on-year over at least the next three to five years.
Mankayan Project
The Guinaoang porphyry copper/gold deposit (The Mankayan Project) is situated in the Mankayan-Lepanto mining district of the Philippines, an area of established copper and gold mining and considered to be one of the country’s major porphyry copper belts. The Mankayan-Lepanto area has been mined for centuries and is accessible by both road and air.
The deposit is located approximately 240km north of Manila and 6km east of the copper/gold mine owned and operated by Lepanto Consolidated Mining. Since its discovery in the early 1970s, extensive drilling (more than 45,000 metres in 48 holes) and metallurgical work has been undertaken by Goldfields Asia Ltd, Pacific Falkon and others.
Based on historical analysis of 33,000 metres of drilling, the resource is estimated to be more than 166 million tonnes, with 1.9 billion pounds of copper and 2.9 million ounces of gold.
In 1996, Crescent Mining and Development Corporation, a Filipino company in which Bezant’s wholly-owned subsidiary Asean Copper Investments Limited holds a 40% interest (with the right to acquire the remaining 60% for minimal consideration), was granted a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) in relation to the property. The MPSA – essentially the equivalent of a mining licence – covers an area of 534 hectares.
The overall budgeted cost for the program is US$3,000,000.
Tanzania
Tanzania has in recent times emerged as a prominent African gold producer and is now the continent’s third-largest gold-producing country after South Africa and Ghana. Moreover, the country is thought to have Africa’s second-largest gold reserves (after South Africa) and has proven gold reserves in excess of 36 Moz (1000t). Gold exploration grew rapidly in the late 1990s, with particular investigation focused on the greenstone belts around Lake Victoria – a region that now hosts several “world class” deposits. The Tanzanian government’s Development Vision 2025 projects that the mining sector will account for 10% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025.
The Mining Act 1998 provides the framework for tenure to Tanzanian mining areas and shares many features with mining regimes common in developed countries.
Tanzania s well-developed system of mining laws, as well as the absence of any mandatory state or local equity participation in Tanzanian mining ventures, makes the country an attractive destination for foreign mining investment.
Mkurumu Project
The Mkurumu Project is located in eastern Tanzania, approximately 125 km south-west of Dodoma. Although not as extensively explored as the Lake Victoria region to the north of the country, a number of potentially exploitable gold concentrations were discovered in eastern Tanzania prior to the 1970s, many of which have been subject to little subsequent work. The Mkurumu Project is covered by a Prospecting Licence encompassing an area of approximately 43.39 square kilometers and has well-established accessibility via regional roads and tracks that are linked to sealed highways leading east to the coast and main ports.
The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Anglo Tanzania Gold Limited (“ATGL”) owns a 46% interest in the Mkurumu Project, having earned that interest pursuant to a joint venture agreement with Ashanti Exploration Tanzania (a subsidiary of Anglo Gold Ashanti), which also holds a 46% interest. The remaining 8% of the project is held by local Tanzanian interests. ATGL has full operational control of the drilling and exploration programme for the project.
In the first half of 2007 ATGL completed first-phase drilling on the project area, involving 12 diamond drill holes resulting in a total of 1,041 metres of core. A detailed soil geochemical sampling programme covering the entire licence area has subsequently been undertaken, with a view to pursuing identified targets in the next phase of drilling.
Philippines/Tanzania
| Gerard Nealon M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons) (Executive Chairman) |
| Gerard Nealon, aged 47, is a Chartered Chemist holding the degrees of B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry and M.Sc. in Forensic Science. He has approximately twenty five years of work experience, primarily in the areas of forensic science, quality systems, risk management, research & development, corporate governance and due diligence. Gerard was initially employed by government agencies, prior to moving into the private sector and founding his own consulting company in 1994. His main areas of operation have principally been Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the USA, having previously held the positions of Chairman with Sylvania Resources Limited (listed on AIM and ASX) and Commercial Manager with Dwyka Resources Limited (listed on AIM and ASX). Gerard is currently the Chairman of Magnum Mining and Exploration Limited and a director of Great Australian Resources Limited (both listed on ASX). |
| Dr Bernard Olivier (Technical Director) |
| Dr Bernard Olivier, aged 32, received his PhD in Economic Geology from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2006 and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He has been working as a geologist since 1998 throughout most of Africa and parts of Asia, including Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Burundi, Malawi, Namibia and the Philippines. He has worked on various exploration and development projects as well as active mining operations on a variety of commodities including, gold, gemstones, diamonds, base metals and coal. He is a founding director of Olivier Geological Services, a mining and geological consultancy, and is currently Vice President Operations for TanzaniteOne Limited (listed on AIM) and Project Manager for Dwyka Resources Limited (listed on AIM and ASX). |
| Mark Burchnall BA, LLB (Non-executive Director) |
| Mark Burchnall, aged 31, graduated in 1998 from the Flinders University of South Australia before working as a lawyer with a number of prominent Australian law firms for approximately eight years. Most recently, Mark was employed as a Senior Associate with Clayton Utz in Perth where he worked for over four years in the corporate, energy and resources area, providing advice to a number of Australian and internationally-listed clients, primarily with a natural resources focus. He has a number of years experience in public and private capital raisings, asset and share sales and acquisitions (with the associated due diligence enquiries) and is currently the Manager - Strategic Development for Dwyka Resources Limited (listed on AIM and ASX) and Sylvania Resources Limited (listed on AIM and ASX), as well as being a director of Washington Resources Limited (listed on ASX). |
| Ronnie Siapno (Non-executive Director) |
| Ronnie Siapno, aged 44, graduated from the Saint Louis University in the Philippines in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering and is currently a member of both the Philippine Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Geological Engineers and the Philippine Society of Mining Engineers. Since graduation, he has held various consulting positions such as Mine Planning Engineer to Benguet Exploration Inc., Mine Production Engineer to Pacific Chrome International Inc., Exploration Engineer to both Portman Mining Philippines Inc. and Phoenix Resources Philippines Inc. and Geotechnical Engineer to Pacific Falkon Philippines Inc. He is currently the President of Crescent Mining and Development Corporation. |
Company AddressLevel 4, HPPL House
|
Additional Information37,162,223 |
Year End30 June |
Nominated BrokersMirabaud Securities | Nominated AdvisorsStrand Partners Limited |
| As at 31 January 2008 | |
| Blackmort Nominees Pty Limited | 14.67% |
| Pershing Keen Nominees Limited | 10.69% |
| BBHISL Nominees Limited | 6.59% |
| Zaika Limited | 6.56% |
| Borak Consultancy Limited | 5.51% |
| Mr David Anthony Hopkins | 5.51% |
| Rathbone Nominees Limited | 4.18% |
| Chase Nominees Limited | 3.39% |
| Prism Nominees Limited | 3.28% |
| Chase Nominees Limited (CMBL Account) | 3.00% |