Harmony Gold is a large company mining for gold. It started in South Africa in 1950. They operate many deep underground mines there. Some are open-pit mines, and they also process old waste. Harmony Gold recently bought more mining assets in the region. One mine, Kusasalethu, goes down over 3,300 meters. Gold is often found deep inside the Earth. They also mine in Papua New Guinea. There, their Hidden Valley mine digs for both gold and silver.
However, mining can be very risky work. In 2009, many illegal miners died in a South African mine. Later, in 2017, a manager was tragically killed. He had faced warnings about illegal miners, also called zama-zamas. Four people were found guilty of that serious crime. On a lighter note, Harmony Gold once had a unique tie to pop culture. They sold special replica rings from "The Lord of the Rings." These rings were made from gold linked to J.R.R. Tolkien and featured cool elvish writing.
