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Basic Materials · Historical gold mining company

ARMgold

Gold company formed by Patrice Motsepe in 1997, listed in 2002 and combined with Harmony Gold through a 2003 share transaction.

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ARMgold was a focused gold company formed by Patrice Motsepe in 1997. It listed on the JSE in 2002. [3][2]

History

Harmony proposed two shares for every three ARMgold shares after a special dividend. Former ARMgold shareholders were expected to hold 25% of enlarged Harmony. [5]

The merger completed in 2003. ARMgold became part of Harmony, while a wider Avmin and ARMI transaction created the modern diversified ARM. [6][1]

Frequently asked questions

Did ARMgold become African Rainbow Minerals?

Only in part of the wider history. ARMgold combined with Harmony, while Avmin later took the African Rainbow Minerals name. [6][4]

Key milestones

  1. ARMgold formed. [3]

  2. ARMgold listed on the JSE. [3]

  3. ARMgold combined with Harmony. [6]

Founded / co-founded by

  • Patrice Motsepe — Founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals and president of the Confederation of African Football.

Related articles

Related institutions

  • African Rainbow Minerals — South African diversified mining group formed in its current shape through the 2003–2004 ARMgold, Harmony and Avmin transactions.
  • Future Mining — Contract mining business founded by Patrice Motsepe in 1994 and identified by ARM as the operating start of his mining-company history.
  • Anglovaal Mining — Diversified listed mining company known as Avmin that adopted the African Rainbow Minerals name after shareholders approved the 2004 transaction.
  • Harmony Gold — Separate listed gold producer that combined with ARMgold in 2003 and remained an investment reported by ARM at 30 June 2025.

Sources

  1. African Rainbow Minerals, About us: company history and transaction timeline. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-21. ↩
  2. African Rainbow Minerals, Dr Patrice Motsepe: official leadership biography. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-21. ↩
  3. African Rainbow Minerals, Integrated annual report 2010: Future Mining, ARMgold and the 2003 transaction, 2010-06-30. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-21. ↩
  4. African Rainbow Minerals, Annual report 2005: Avmin transaction approval and name change, 2005-06-30. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-21. ↩
  5. Harmony Gold, Fourth-quarter 2003 review: proposed ARMgold merger and enlarged share capital, 2003-06-30. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-21. ↩
  6. Harmony Gold, Harmony history: the 2003 ARMgold transaction. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-21. ↩