RNS Number:3667H
Highland Gold Mining Limited
12 February 2003



                                12 February 2003


        HIGHLAND GOLD MINING LIMITED ("HIGHLAND GOLD" or "THE COMPANY")


                PRE-CLOSE PERIOD UPDATE AND DIRECTORATE CHANGES



Highland Gold Mining Limited, the AIM traded Russian gold mining group, today
issues the following pre-close period update and notice of directorate changes,
ahead of the announcement of the Group's preliminary results expected in late
April 2003.

Highland Gold continued its strong progress during 2002 and anticipates its
overall performance for the full year will be in line with expectations.  In the
year ended 31 December 2002, its subsidiary ZAO Mnogovershinnoe ("MNV") milled a
total of 806,000 tonnes of ore and produced 178,000 ounces of gold at an average
grade of 6.87 grams per tonne.  During this period the average recovery was
approximately 91.74% and reported cash operating costs were US$149 per ounce.

Since the admission of the Company's shares to trading on the Alternative
Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange ("AIM"), Highland Gold has made
significant progress on a number of key issues affecting the Group's operations.
These include: the completion of the registration of the tailings dump at MNV;
further progress on the award of the mining licence at the Darasun deposit and
in the overall registration of title to the Group's key operational assets; and
the acquisition of a further 2.96% of Novoshirokinskoye.  Further announcements
regarding the conclusion of these developments will be made, where appropriate,
in due course.

The Board of Highland Gold also announces the resignation, with effect from 10
February 2003, of Mr Ted Grobicki as a non-executive director of the Company,
and of his alternate director, Mr Peter McKenna, both of whom are executives of
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited ("Harmony").  Ted Grobicki is relocating on
a full-time basis to Australia to focus on his responsibilities for Harmony's
Australian gold mining operations.  With effect from the same date, Mr Michael
Pleming, a non-executive director of Harmony, has been appointed as a
non-executive director of the Company. Further details on Mr. Pleming are set
out in the attached Notes to Editors.  There are no other matters with regard to
his appointment which are required to be disclosed under paragraph (f) of
Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules.

Lord Daresbury, Chairman of Highland Gold, said:

"Highland Gold has made sound progress in 2002.  Since publication of the AIM
admission document on 12 December 2002, we have achieved our production and
output targets as planned and we have made material progress in our development
projects."

"The Board is very grateful for the help and guidance received from both Ted and
Peter in the preparations for the acquisition of the Company's portfolio of
quality gold mining projects in the Russian Federation, and in the admission of
Highland Gold's shares to trading on AIM.  We are delighted that Harmony has now
proposed that Mr. Pleming should join the Board in their place, and Mr.
Pleming's engineering and financial experience should be of great benefit to the
Company."


Enquiries:


Patrick Handley              Brunswick Group                   +44 20 7404 5959
Rupert Young
Mark Antelme



Notes to Editors:

Mr Pleming (aged 67) started his career in mining engineering on the Zambian
Copperbelt.  He joined Trans Natal Coal (now Ingwe) in 1975 as general manager:
at Optimum Collieries, and was later appointed project manager and consulting
engineer.  He joined Liberty Asset Management in 1982 where he was responsible
for mining investment research.  He retired in 1995 and has since undertaken a
series of mining investment-related assignments.  Following the acquisition of
Evander in 1998 by Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited ("Harmony"), he joined
the company as a non-executive director.

For the last five years Mr Pleming has been a non-executive director of Harmony
and Impala Platinum Holdings Limited and serves on the HSE Audit Committees of
both companies.  Within the past five years he has been, but is no longer, a
director of St Helena Gold Mines Limited, Evander Gold Mines Limited and The
Afrikander Lease Limited.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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