JSE-listed gold miner, DRDGold, on Wednesday said it is likely to increase gold production 6 percent for the six months ended 31 December 2014.

Operating profit for the six months is likely to be around 5 percent higher, in keeping with the increase in gold production for the same period. It said its cash and cash equivalents balance is expected to have increased by 19 percent since 30 September 2014.

Niël Pretorius, DRDGold CEO, attributed the improvement in gold production to the restoration of metallurgical efficiencies and operating business improvements following the suspension of the company’s new flotation and fine-grind circuit in April 2014.

Late last year, DRDGold, said it had appointed KPMG audit partner, Riaan Davel, as CFO with effect from this month. Davel will replace Anthon Meyer who was appointed acting CFO in July 2014, pending the appointment of a permanent CFO.

Davel is a qualified Chartered Accountant (South Africa), has a BCom (Hons) and an MCom (in International Accounting) from the University of Johannesburg. Davel has 17 years’ experience in the professional services industry, mostly in the mining sector in Africa.

As part of gaining this experience, Davel provided assurance and advisory services, including support and training on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) to clients and teams across the African continent. He has spent the last seven years at KPMG as audit partner, where his work included performing audits of listed companies in the mining industry.

A couple of months back DRDGold’s CFO resigned with immediate effect with the company at pains to explain that Francois van der Westhuizen (34) had bowed out of his position “by agreement.” He was replaced by Meyer (61), the former CFO of Mintails Limited. Meyer had agreed to a two-month, interim appointment as CFO of DRDGOLD.