Celebrating its 21st year as South Africa's premier platinum jewellery and manufacturing competition, PlatAfrica has announced 20 finalists in the two categories for this year's competition, which for the first time focused exclusively on men's jewellery.

Hosted annually by Anglo American Platinum in partnership with Metal Concentrators and Platinum Guild International (PGI) India, PlatAfrica aims to promote innovation and technical expertise in platinum jewellery design and manufacturing in South Africa.

This year's theme Designed for Men of Platinum was developed in consultation with PGI India and was inspired by consumer research that identifies men's jewellery as a growing demand segment for platinum jewellery, but with a limited product offering.

As PlatAfrica aims to promote platinum jewellery to a broader audience, the competition is partnering with African Fashion International (AFI) to showcase finalists' pieces as part of Joburg Fashion Week 2020. The winners will be announced during a virtual showcase event on 13 November, with models dressed by leading South African menswear brand, Carducci.

Natascha Viljoen, CEO of Anglo American Platinum, said: 'Platinum has been a highly sought after jewellery metal for consumers for decades and we are proud of the many firsts that are being incorporated in this year's 21st edition of PlatAfrica. For the first time, the competition focuses on men's jewellery, which is an underserviced market segment. In addition, we are very excited to partner with AFI who have an excellent track record in showcasing the best of African design. We are also thrilled to be a part of this year's Joburg Fashion Week and have been very impressed by the quality and creativity of the pieces that have been entered. We hope this year's competition will serve as a catalyst to encourage more men to buy and wear platinum jewellery.'

Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, founder of AFI said: 'PlatAfrica has built a reputation for inspiring creativity and quality in platinum jewellery design in South Africa. What excites me about our partnership with PlatAfrica is the opportunity to develop and grow nascent talent into international excellence, thus contributing to our creative capital as well job creation and economic growth.'

In another first, all the one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces entered for PlatAfrica will be available for sale online. The store will be hosted on the AFI Designer Boutique (https://www.afiboutique.com/) for a limited period and will go live after the show on 13 November.

Contact:

Emma Chapman

Tel: +27 (0) 11 373 6239

Email: emma.chapman@angloamerican.com

Notes to editors

African Fashion International (AFI) is driven by a passion for Africa and its people. Through various fashion and lifestyle platforms AFI propels African designers and their work to global markets, connecting artists to an audience that appreciates authentic African stories.

AFI platforms include: the anticipated pan-African Fashion Weeks, Cape Town and Joburg; the knowledge-sharing Masterclass and In Conversations, which brings together industry leaders to signal current trends and transformative practices; an incubation platform Fastrack, to invest in the next generation of African designers and the AFI Boutique, which aggregates the sale of fashion week collections.

The efforts of AFI in the African creative industry is underpinned by a commitment to preserve the planet and usher in a new era of inclusivity within the global industry. AFI offers emerging and established creatives effective marketing and business platforms, which serves as catalyst for growing global strategic networks.

Anglo American Platinum Limited is a member of the Anglo American plc Group and is a leading primary producer of platinum group metals. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). Its mining, smelting and refining operations are based in South Africa. Elsewhere in the world, the Group owns Unki Platinum Mine in Zimbabwe. Anglo American Platinum has a number of joint ventures with several historically disadvantaged South African consortia as part of its commitment to the transformation of the mining industry. Anglo American Platinum is committed to the highest standards of safety and continues to make a meaningful and sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations.

Anglo American is a leading global mining company and our products are the essential ingredients in almost every aspect of modern life. Our portfolio of world-class competitive operations, development projects and undeveloped resources, provides many of the metals and minerals that enable a cleaner, greener, more sustainable world and that meet the fast growing consumer-driven demands of developed and maturing economies. With our people at the heart of our business, we use innovative practices and the latest technologies to mine, process, move and market our products to our customers and to discover new resources safely and sustainably.

As a responsible producer of diamonds (through De Beers), copper, platinum group metals, the steelmaking ingredients of iron ore and metallurgical coal, and nickel with crop nutrients in development and thermal coal operations planned for divestment we are committed to being carbon neutral across our operations by 2040. We work together with our business partners and diverse stakeholders to unlock sustainable value from precious natural resources for the benefit of the communities and countries in which we operate, for society as a whole, and for our shareholders. Anglo American is re-imagining mining to improve people's lives.

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