RNS Number:9137N
Cluff Mining PLC
24 July 2003



                                CLUFF MINING PLC





   Potential for large scale Nickel-Copper-PGE open pit mine at Sheba's Ridge



Mr J.G. Cluff, Chairman and Chief Executive of Cluff Mining PLC, speaking at the
Company's Annual General Meeting today, said:



"We are pleased to have been able to demonstrate the continuity of the Platreef
over 4 kilometres of the Sheba's Ridge project.  This is an important step
towards establishing a resource on the Platreef and we are now progressing to
test this over the remaining 7 kilometres strike length.



"With the promising grades of nickel and copper, the project has excellent
potential to become a large scale, low cost open cast mine.



"At the nearby Blue Ridge project, further good progress has been made towards
completion of the feasibility study".


ENQUIRIES:


Cluff Mining PLC                                                  Tel: +44 20 7495 2030
J.G. Cluff (Chairman & Chief Executive)




College Hill Associates                                           Tel: +44 20 7457 2020
Mark Garraway







Cluff Mining PLC (the "Company") announces further encouraging progress at its
Sheba's Ridge joint venture with Anglo Platinum in the eastern limb of the
Bushveld Complex of South Africa.



At the same time, the Company is well advanced towards the completion of a
feasibility study at its nearby Blue Ridge project.



In February 2003, following encouraging initial drilling results on the
Platreef, the Company decided to increase its rate of drilling at Sheba's Ridge.
Currently, eight rigs are drilling on a 100-metre grid at a spacing of 100 and
200 metres, along a strike length of more than 4,000 metres. The drilling is
designed to intersect the upper contact of the Platreef envelope at a depths
ranging from 50 to 250 metres. The 400-800 metre wide oxidised outcrop of the
Platreef is being investigated by triple-tube drilling.



A total of 92 diamond boreholes have been drilled to date on the grid, totalling
26,695 metres. All holes have been logged for visible sulphide and 12,088
samples have been submitted for Pt+Pd+Au (3E) analysis. Copper and nickel
contents have been determined by ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) analysis on
747 samples where 3E exceeded 1 g/t, and on 1,526 samples in an ongoing
programme of XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) analysis. Results have been received for
31 boreholes to date, or 5,472 samples. The drilling programme will continue
until the end of the year, when the planned 180 holes will have been completed,
and 24,000 samples will have been analysed.



The drilling, which has concentrated on 4,000 metres of the potential 11 km
strike length of the Platreef in the project area, has defined a broad envelope
of visible, disseminated to blebby-textured base metal sulphide. The dip is
approximately 20o south. This envelope is continuous across the area and is open
down dip. The thickness of the envelope ranges between 50 and 260 metres, as it
accommodates to a system of basal structures, thus thinning over the domes and
thickening into the basins that form the floor to the Platreef at the current
level of erosion. The envelope may commonly be discordant to the host rocks,
which are pyroxenite, harzburgite and various metasediments. The average density
is 3.08 tons per cubic metre.



Most importantly, the overall Platreef visible sulphide envelope hosts a number
of layers that carry higher PGE (Platinum Group Elements) and base metal grades.
These layers are between 3 and 31 metres thick. A distinctive layer, rich in
sulphide, lies at the basal contact, while another occurs about halfway through
the sequence.



Selected examples of mineralised intersections, extracted from available data,
are tabulated below.




Borehole                          Depth          Width        2PGE +Au          Cu            Ni
                                   (m)            (m)           g/t              %             %

LPR12/02        Envelope     336.1 to 402.5       66.4      1.02 (3.81)        n.a.          n.a.
                 Zone A      342.9 to 349.7       6.8       0.93 (1.78)        n.a.          n.a.
                 Zone B      371.0 to 402.5       31.5      1.63 (3.81)        n.a.          n.a.

LPR18/08        Envelope     195.0 to 273.0       78.0      0.91 (3.33)     0.17 (0.91)   0.11 (0.31)
                 Zone A      204.0 to 213.5       9.5       0.94 (1.37)     0.26 (0.43)   0.16 (0.31)
                 Zone B      220.0 to 232.0       12.0      1.28 (3.33)     0.25 (0.91)   0.13 (0.28)
                 Zone C        236 to 257         21.0      1.15 (2.16)     0.11 (0.35)   0.07 (0.19)
                 Zone D        265 to 273         8.0        0.77(1.39)     0.24 (0.46)   0.17 (0.28)



(Maximum values of elements in parentheses;  n.a. = not analysed)





Down-dip drilling of three boreholes, off-grid, approximately 1,500 metres south
of the outcrop position, has demonstrated continuity of the Platreef at depth
and on the eastern and western boundaries of the joint venture property, 4,400
metres apart.   Results from two of these are tabulated overleaf.




Borehole                          Depth          Width        2PGE +Au          Cu            Ni
                                   (m)            (m)           g/t              %             %

LSD22           Envelope     544.1 to 612.9       68.8      0.38 (3.92)        n.a.          n.a.
                 Zone A      553.3 to 559.7       6.4       2.33 (3.92)     0.15 (0.31)   0.24 (0.58)

LSD33           Envelope     559.2 to 628.9       69.7      1.43 (6.50)
                 Zone A      559.2 to 562.2       3.0       2.16 (4.13)     0.14 (0.28)   0.25 (0.43)
                 Zone B      565.7 to 569.5       3.8       2.11 (3.20)     0.12 (0.21)   0.23 (0.35)
                 Zone C      599.8 to 603.3       3.5       2.55 (3.53)     0.20 (0.26)   0.33 (0.42)
                 Zone D      615.6 to 619.8       4.2       2.42 (5.27)     0.14 (0.21)   0.24 (0.39)
                 Zone E      621.8 to 628.9       7.1       2.57 (6.50)     0.19 (0.25)   0.32 (0.38)





On the basis of the results received to date, the bulk grade of the Platreef
envelope to a depth of 400 metres has been found to average 0.54 g/t 3E, with a
platinum to palladium ratio of 1 to 2.3. The base metal content of samples with
grade of over 1 g/t 3E averages 0.21% copper and 0.27% sulphide nickel.  The
bulk of the envelope has a Cu:Ni ratio of about 0.7, such that a typical value
of 0.35% copper is associated with 0.5% sulphide nickel. This ratio is
controlled by the primary mineralogy of the deposit
(pyrrhotite-pentlandite-chalcopyrite). Evaluation of the deposit will be carried
out separately for PGE, copper and nickel, and for all metal combined.



The intention of the current programme is to establish the strike continuity of
the Platreef, and then define the high-grade portions to a depth of 300-400
metres, where selective opencast mining can first be carried out.



Under the terms of the joint venture agreement with Anglo Platinum, the Company
will have acquired a 65% interest in the Sheba's Ridge joint venture once it has
issued new ordinary shares of Cluff Mining PLC with a value of US$3 million to
Anglo Platinum prior to 6th September 2003. The Company has the right to acquire
up to 87.5% of the joint venture following the completion of a bankable
feasibility study.






Note to Editors





   Potential for large scale Nickel-Copper-PGE open pit mine at Sheba's Ridge



*        Cluff Mining is now focused on platinum group elements (PGE) projects
on the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa.  The two principal
exploration projects are the Sheba's Ridge joint venture (Cluff 65%, Anglo
Platinum 35%) and Blue Ridge (Cluff 100%).



  * Cluff Mining now reports further encouraging progress at Sheba's Ridge,
    where the Company has stepped up the drilling rate and where eight rigs
    currently are engaged in a closely-spaced drilling programme along a strike
    length of over 4km out of a potential total 11km strike length on the
    Platreef.



  * The drilling programme will continue until the end of the year, when the
    planned 180 holes will have been completed, and 24,000 samples analysed.



  * The drilling has confirmed the continuity of the Platreef over 4km of
    Sheba's Ridge, over which it has defined a broad envelope of platinum and
    base metal sulphide-bearing rock.  This envelope has been shown to be
    continuous across the area and is open down dip. The thickness of the
    envelope ranges between 50 and 260 metres.



  * The results to date represent an important step towards establishing a
    resource on the Platreef and the Company is now progressing to test this
    over the remaining 7km strike length.



  * With promising nickel and copper grades, the Company is confident that the
    project has excellent potential to become a large scale, low cost
    polymetallic open pit mine.



*        At the same time, the Company is well advanced towards the completion
of a feasibility study at its nearby Blue Ridge project, where measured and
indicated resources of 3.7 million ounces of PGE have been delineated.


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

MSCEANXLALSDEEE