Disposal

Anglo American PLC
21 December 2001


News Release
21 December 2001

                 ANGLO AMERICAN PLC CONTINUES ITS DISPOSAL OF

                             NON-CORE BUSINESSES

Anglo American Corporation of SA Limited announced today that it has disposed
of its entire shareholding in Shaft Sinkers (Pty) Limited. The purchaser is
AMCO Investments Limited, a UK-based company with which Shaft Sinkers has been
associated over many years in Switzerland, Zambia, Botswana and at Cleveland
Potash in the UK.

Anglo American is confident that its association with AMCO and Shaft Sinkers
will continue as new shafts are designed and developed at various companies
within the group.

Chairman of AMCO, Stuart Gordon, said, 'we are keen to retain top operational
management of Shaft Sinkers to ensure continuity and will also be offering 20%
of the shares acquired to selected employees. Furthermore, we will make up to
30% of the shares available to suitable black empowerment groups as and when
these are identified and Anglo American will facilitate this process.'

Bill Nairn, chairman of Shaft Sinkers and an executive director of Anglo
American plc, added 'I am delighted that we have been able to secure offshore
investment into a South African company such as Shaft Sinkers - this will
benefit both the company and the country at this time. We are also pleased
that there will be a black empowerment transaction and that employees of Shaft
Sinkers will be offered shares in the company.'

The sale, valued at R38 million, will be completed when various conditions
precedent have been met, including the approval of the Competition Commission.



For further information:

Anglo American - Johannesburg

Anne Dunn

[phone]



NOTES TO EDITORS

Information about Shaft Sinkers

Shaft Sinkers was formed in 1961 by Anglo American as the Corporation faced a
growing expansion programme at its gold mines in the then Western Transvaal
and the Orange Free State, in South Africa. Numerous shaft sinking records
were set and the company today is a leader in the sinking of vertical and
incline shafts in South Africa and abroad. The Mets division is
internationally accepted in providing specialist technical expertise in mining
and engineering design and in procurement and construction management.



Information about AMCO

AMCO controls two companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the
London Stock Exchange - AMCO Corporation PLC and Tolent PLC.

The predecessor company of AMCO Corporation was formed in 1970 to undertake
mining development work underground for The National Coal Board in Britain.
Since then it has sunk shafts and carried out major development work for the
British coal mining industry. It has an extensive inventory of shaft sinking
and underground equipment. Since 1970 the business has expanded into mineral
exploration drilling (including in Africa), structural steel manufacture and
erection, tunnelling machinery manufacture, rail engineering, civil tunnelling
and property development. Turnover per annum is around GBP100 million (R1.96
billion).

Tolent PLC is a well established construction and office fit-out company. It
has a turnover per annum of around GBP150 million (R2.94 billion) and works
for many of the leading blue chip companies such as Goldman Sachs, Rolls
Royce, Du Pont and ICI.