MINING IN CANADA — Harmony buys Bissett mine

Harmony Gold Mining of South Africa has purchased the Bissett gold mine from the receivers handling the bankruptcy of Rea Gold.

For most of its corporate life, Harmony was a unit of Randgold. By the end of 1997, however, the South African mining house had reduced its ownership of Harmony to about 13%. It now stands as an independent mining company.

Harmony has gold mining operations in two areas of South Africa; Free State and East Rand.

Both Rea Gold and its wholly owned subsidiary, Bissett Gold, filed for bankruptcy last December.