Recognised Overseas Professional Organisation (ROPO)

Developments In International Reciprocity Of Competent Persons South African Entities Accepted By The Australian Stock Exchange (Asx) As Recognised Overseas Professional Organisations (Ropo)

The South African Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (The SAMREC Code) and the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (The JSE) recognize a number of International Institutions, whose members may report on Resources and Reserves to the JSE under the SAMREC Code.

In a further move towards the International reciprocity of Competent Persons, the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (the SAIMM), the Geological Society of South Africa (the GSSA), and the South African Council for Professional and Technical Surveyors (PLATO) have recently been accepted by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as members of their Recognised Overseas Professional Organisation (ROPO) list. The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), and the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) have previously been accepted as ROPO’s by the ASX.

The ASX ROPO scheme was introduced in 2003 as a joint initiative between the Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee (“JORC”), the parent organisations of JORC (The AusIMM, AIG and Minerals Council of Australia), and ASX. The latest list of ROPOs, as at September 2006 (updated since orignal publication), thus includes the following South African entities.

Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy AusIMM
Australian Institute of Geoscientists AIG
Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists CCPG
European Federation of Geologists EFG
The Geological Society GS
Institute of Geologists of Ireland IGI
Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining IMMM
Mining and Metallurgical Society of America MMSA
Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration SME

Members of a ROPO may thus sign off as a Competent Person on the ASX, under the JORC Code, without having to join one of the sponsoring entities of the JORC Code itself (ie the AusIMM or the AIG). Further information on the ASX ROPO list can be obtained at: http://www.asx.com.au/about/pdf/StandAloneROPOletter18March2005.pdf
The criteria for a ROPO are that the organisation must:
1. be a self-regulatory organisation covering professionals in the mining and/or exploration industry;
2. admit members primarily on the basis of their academic qualifications and experience;
3. require compliance with the professional standards of competence and ethics established by the organisation; and
4. have disciplinary powers, including the power to suspend or expel a member.

The ROPO initiative complements the similar moves implemented in Canada and South Africa in recent years, and has significantly advanced the development of true international reciprocity of Competent (in Canada, Qualified) Persons.

ROGER DIXON
Chairperson: SAMREC/SAMVAL Committee
17 May 2005