Note 23


23

NON GAAP INFORMATION

Total cash costs and cash cost per ounce are non GAAP measures. Total cash costs and total cash costs per ounce are calculated using guidance issued by the Gold Institute. The Gold Institute was a non profit industry association comprised of leading gold producers, refiners, bullion suppliers and manufacturers. This institute has now been incorporated into the National Mining Association. The guidance was first issued in 1996 and revised in November 1999. Total cash costs, as defined in the Gold Institute’s guidance, include mine production, transport and refinery costs, general and administrative costs, movement in production inventories and ore stockpiles, transfers to and from deferred stripping where relevant, and royalties. Under the company’s revised accounting policies, there are no transfers to and from deferred stripping.

Total cash costs per ounce are calculated by dividing total cash costs, as determined using the Gold Institute guidance, by gold ounces produced for the periods presented. Total cash costs and total cash costs per ounce are calculated on a consistent basis for the periods presented. Total cash costs and total cash costs per ounce should not be considered by investors as an alternative to operating profit or net profit attributable to shareholders, as an alternative to other IFRS measures or an indicator of our performance. The data does not have a meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore amounts presented may not be comparable to data presented by gold producers who do not follow the guidance provided by the Gold Institute. In particular depreciation, amortisation and share-based payments would be included in a measure of total costs of producing gold under IFRS, but are not included in total cash costs under the guidance provided by the Gold Institute. Furthermore, while the Gold Institute has provided a definition for the calculation of total cash costs and total cash costs per ounce, the calculation of these numbers may vary from company to company and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. However, Randgold Resources believes that total cash costs per ounce is a useful indicator to investors and management of a mining company's performance as it provides an indication of a company's profitability and efficiency, the trends in cash costs as the company's operations mature, and a benchmark of performance to allow for comparison against other companies.

Cash operating costs and cash operating cost per ounce are calculated by deducting royalties from total cash costs. Cash operating costs per ounce are calculated by dividing cash operating costs by gold ounces produced for the periods presented. Gold sales and the average price received are non GAAP measures. Gold sales represents the sales of gold at spot and the gains/losses on hedge contacts which have been delivered into at the designated maturity date. It excludes gains/losses on hedge contracts which have been rolled forward to match future sales. This adjustment is considered appropriate because no cash is received/paid in respect of these contracts. Average price received is calculated by dividing gold sales by gold ounces sold. These measures do not have a meaning prescribed by IFRS and should not be regarded as an alternative to the revenue measures presented under IFRS.

Profit from mining activity is calculated by subtracting total cash costs from gold sales for all periods presented.

The following table reconciles gold sales, total cash costs and profit from mining activity, as non GAAP measures, to the information provided in the income statement, determined in accordance with IFRS, for each of the years set forth below:

US$0000
Year
ended
31 Dec
2006
Year
ended
31 Dec
2005
 
Gold sales on spot
274 907
151 502
Loss on matured hedges
(12 190)
-
Gold sales#
262 717
151 502
Mine production costs
115 217
66 612
Movement in production inventory and ore stock piles
(13 373)
(18 744)~
Transport and refining costs
711
360
Royalties
16 979
10 273
General and administration expenses
13 006
7 438
Total cash costs
132 540
65 939~
Profit from mining activity
130 177
85 563~
Depreciation and amortisation
(22 844)
(11 910)
Exploration and corporate expenditure
(28 805)
(24 049)
Interest and other income
8 552
3 367
Other (losses)/gains - net
(653)
45
Exchange losses/(gains) - net and other expenses
(2 216)
(3 129)
Interest expense
(5 825)
(1 861)
Non-cash loss on roll forward of hedges
(4 413)
-
Profit before income tax
73 973
48 026~

~ Restated due to change in accounting policy relating to deferred stripping. Refer note 6.
# Gold sales does not include the non-cash loss on the rolled forward hedges amounting to US$4.4 million (2005: US$ nil).