About this report

About this report (PDF - 961KB)

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Scope of the report

The group's 2004 Report to Society presents a review of the company's economic, social and environmental impact and obligations for the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004. It has been prepared in conjunction with the Annual Report on the company's operating and financial performance for the same period. Through the combination of the Report to Society and Annual Report, AngloGold Ashanti seeks to report on these issues to a wide range of stakeholders, who include shareholders, employees, employee representatives and the communities in which it operates, as well as regional and national governments and other interested parties.

AngloGold Ashanti believes that the report presents a fair and balanced reflection of the group's operations and performance, its objectives, values and business principles and the major issues and challenges that it faces (outside of the operating and financial sphere).

Efforts have been made to report on a wide range of issues from around the world. Because of the scale of the group's operations, reporting has been done on the basis that the group's principles and policies are illustrated rather than detailed in every case. This is done as far as possible, through practical examples or case studies. Because the majority of the group's operations and employees are based in South Africa, there is more reporting on this region. Attempts have been made, however, to cover issues pertinent to individual operations through specific country reports.

To address the needs of the stakeholders who will read this report, the report has been compiled in such a way as to make it more accessible.

• The primary reporting format is through a dedicated webpage on the company's own website at www.anglogoldashanti.com. Copies of the entire report or portions of this report may be accessed, downloaded or printed from this website. This report is also available on CD-ROM or in a printed version from the persons listed on the back pages of the Report to Society and the annual report, or the website.
• The report may be accessed from three vantage points:
  • First: The report is structured in line with the various disciplines - safety and health, environment, labour, HIV/AIDS and malaria, and community and these are covered in terms of the company's own values and business principles;
  • Second: Readers may access specific information in the main report or in country reports which present country specific information on the operations and case studies; and
  • Third: The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) format has also been followed in compiling this report and a GRI matrix (to be found in each section of the printed report or in the GRI section on the website) indicates the page numbers on which relevant discussions may be found.

While no generally accepted reporting guidelines exist for this type of report, the group believes that it has sought to follow good practice, GRI guidelines and various other instruments (such as the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002, and the guidelines of the King Report on Corporate Governance (2002), among others). AngloGold Ashanti has also asked auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to assist in developing a framework for reporting, and in providing assurance on certain sections of the report. The sections that have been assured have been selected in conjunction with PWC and are based on those areas that are most meaningful to the company and its stakeholders. The assurance letter from PWC may be found on page 6 of this report.

The most significant event of the past year was the business combination between AngloGold Limited and Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited, effective 26 April 2004. For reporting purposes, the effective reporting period for these operations begins on 1 May 2004. The former Ashanti operations are therefore reported in this report for an eight-month period only, that is, May to December 2004.