Directors

The Committees of the Board of Directors will be comprised as follows:

Audit Committee

• Clinton Halsey (Chair)
• John Hick
• David Cohen

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

• Patrick Evans (Chair)
• John Hick
• Kevin Wakeford
• Graham Wanblad

Human Resources and Compensation Committee

• Graham Wanblad (Chair)
• Peter Surgey
• Clinton Halsey

Environmental, Health and Safety Committee

• Graham Wanblad (Chair)
• Deon van der Mescht
• Kevin Wakeford

Board Committees

Concurrent with the April 26, 2010 conclusion of the private placement offering of the Compnay's 7%secured convertible notes due March 31, 2013 the Board of Directors is expected to meet to:

• name a chairman;
• establish the committess of the Board;
• review, and amend as necessary, the mandate of the Board and its committees;
• review, and amend as necessary, the policies of the Company; and
• review the structure of the management team.

Biographical information regarding the directors of the Company is provided as follows:

David Cohen Co-founder and Chairman of Eastern Platinum Ltd and former president and CEO of Northern Orion Resources Inc.  He has over 20 years of international experience including operating and management positions with De Beers, Anglo American and Fluor Engineers, Professional Chemical Engineer with MBA.

Clinton Halsey  BCom (Wits) BAcc (Wits), CA(SA), H Dip International Tax Law, Member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.  After completing his articles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2000, Clinton started his career in the mining and resources industry at Durban Roodepoort Deep as Group Corporate Finance Manager. In 2006, he joined Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd as Corporate Finance Manager where he managed the group’s corporate finance activities and new growth opportunities. He has had diverse experience in accounting and valuation, deal structuring (including BEE), M & A, equity raisings as well as the legislative processes relating to mining corporate finance. As a corporate finance specialist with skilled exposure to the mining industry, he co-founded To The Point Growth Specialists in 2007 with Bernard Swanepoel.

Patrick C. Evans serves as a director of the Board. Mr. Evans has served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc., a company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, since November 2005. From September 2005 to May 2006, Mr. Evans served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Weda Bay Minerals Inc., a TSX listed nickel exploration and development company, until its acquisition by Eramet S.A. Mr. Evans served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of SouthernEra Diamonds Inc. from March 2001 to August 2005 and as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of Southern Platinum Corp. from August 2004 to May 2005. He also previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Messina Limited, a company listed on the JSE. Prior to that Mr. Evans held various senior executive positions with Placer Dome Inc. from January 1999 to March 2001 and served as a Member of the Executive Committee of the South African Chamber of Mines. Mr. Evans holds a BA and BSc from the University of Cape Town (South Africa).

John W.W. Hick serves as a director of the Board. From December 1, 2004 to January 1, 2006, Mr. Hick served as Chief Executive Officer of Rio Narcea Gold Mines Ltd., of which he was a director from 1997 to June 2006. Mr. Hick also currently serves as Chairman and a director of Silver Eagle Mines Inc. In addition, Mr. Hick serves as a director of Carpathian Gold Inc., Hudson Resources Inc., Revett Minerals Inc. and Queenstake Resources Inc. Prior to the acquisition of Defiance Mining Corp. by Rio Narcea in 2004, Mr. Hick was the President and Chief Executive officer of Defiance and its predecessor company, Geomaque Explorations Ltd. Mr. Hick has held various senior positions with other mining companies including President and later Vice Chairman of TVX Gold Inc. between 1993 and 1997, Senior Vice President, Corporate of Placer Dome Inc. between 1987 and 1990 and Vice President and General Counsel of the Dome Mines Group of Companies between 1981 and 1987. Mr. Hick holds a BA from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of Ottawa and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1978

Peter Surgey BA LLB (UCT)  Peter Surgey is a non-executive director of Nampak. He was the CEO of Barloworld Coatings from 1988 to 2003 and an executive director of Barloworld Limited from 1995 to 2008. A past founding and board member of Business Against Crime, currently a director of the National Business Initiative, Freeworld Coatings and a trustee of the President’s Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.  Mr Peter Surgey, an admitted attorney, started his 25 year career in the Barlow Group of Companies during 1983 where he was employed initially as legal adviser and Group Investor Relations, and thereafter as divisional human resources executive.  As from 1990 to date Mr Surgey was appointed as Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer and executive director of various companies in the Barlow Groups such as Plascon (Proprietary) Limited, Barloworld Coatings and Barloworld Limited.  During 2009 he was appointed as director of Nampak Limited. 

Kevin P.E Wakeford  BA (Hons), Professorship (extraordinaire)(Managerial Economics)(Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University)   The former head of SACOB (South Africa Chamber of Business), Kevin Wakeford represents Xelexwa Investment Holdings, on the Simmers board. An advisor on matters of policy and strategy to the public and private sectors, Kevin has acted as an advisor to a cabinet minister and a provincial premier as well as two large black-owned companies and currently serves on the investment and audit risk committees of a large mining pension fund. He also played a key role in the set-up phase of the Coega Port and Industrial Zone in the Eastern Cape.

Graham Wanblad has five decades of experience in the mining industry, mainly in the fields of mining and process project development and operational experience that included the management of multi-disciplined technical teams. From 2005 to May 2008, Mr. Wanblad served as Executive Technical Director of First Uranium’s parent company, Simmer and Jack Mines, Limited (“Simmer & Jack), and was a Director on the Simmer & Jack Board in 2005 and 2006. Prior to joining Simmer & Jack, Mr. Wanblad served as an independent technical consultant from 1998 to 2005. For the 40 years before that, Mr. Wanblad was associated with Johannesburg Consolidated Investments Company (“JCI”), which, in its time, was one of the six major South African mining houses. Starting with JCI in 1960, he held various positions of increasing responsibility gaining operational experience at gold, platinum and base metal mines and project management experience, with overall technical management of many multi-billion Rand gold, uranium, platinum, coal and base metals projects. He joined the JCI Board in 1990 as Managing Director of Technical Services and was appointed to Executive Technical Director of the JCI Group in 1993. Mr. Wanblad was the non-executive chairman of six JCI Group companies, held directorships at six listed mining companies and has had the international responsibilities of developing phased feasibility studies for 12 projects in 10 countries.

Dated: April 27, 2010