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NewsBot Date: December 6, 2005 09:15:00 AM
GBN News Great Basin Appoints New President & CEO
VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2005--Great Basin Gold Ltd. (TSX:GBG)(AMEX:GBN) announces today the appointment of Ferdi Dippenaar as President and CEO of the Company. In addition to his role with Great Basin, Mr. Dippenaar will serve as Executive Advisor to Hunter Dickinson managed companies.
Mr. Dippenaar is a resident of the Republic of South Africa and is a well known member of the gold mining industry in SA. He holds a Bachelors of Commerce and Procuration Degrees, and a MBA from North West University in South Africa. He started his career at the Buffelsfontein gold mine in 1983 and was employed in various financial and administrative capacities at the Gengold mines. In 1996, he became managing director of Grootvlei and of East Rand Proprietary Mines. Following Harmony Gold's acquisition of Grootvlei and Cons Modder, he was appointed Marketing Director of Harmony in 1997, overseeing Harmony's service delivery departments, corporate affairs and the company's investor relations. Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs for Harmony.
Great Basin is a mining exploration and development company with advanced stage gold assets on the Carlin Trend in Nevada, USA and the Witwatersrand Goldfield in South Africa. A feasibility study on the Company's Burnstone Gold Project in South Africa is nearing completion. In addition, an underground exploration and development program is underway at the Company's Hollister Development Block Project in Nevada. Mr. Dippenaar will be based in South Africa but will also handle Great Basin's North American operations. He will play a key role in guiding these projects toward and into production.
Mr. Dippenaar will also be appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company. He takes over as President and CEO from Ronald Thiessen, who will remain a Director and become Co-Chairman of the Board. In commenting on Mr. Dippenaar's appointment, Ron Thiessen stated, "Ferdi has come from a great company, where he obtained a lot of experience and became well recognized in industry. I know that he will take a focussed approach to the leadership of Great Basin, unlocking the value of the Company's excellent projects. His background and reputation as part of a company building team is going to fit perfectly with the goals of our shareholders, and the Hunter Dickinson group."
Ronald W. Thiessen, President and CEO
No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the informatio n contained in this news release.
