Assore asks court to disqualify ARM top executive — TimesLIVE

In South Africa, mining company Assore has applied to a court seeking the disqualification of Khajal Bissessor, chief commercial officer of African Rainbow Minerals (ARM). Assore cites the late filing of the tax return of the Assmang joint venture for the 2025 financial year as grounds for the lawsuit, TimesLIVE reports.

Assmang, which mines iron ore and manganese ore, is controlled on an equal basis by Assore and ARM: each company holds 50% of the share capital and voting rights. The tax return for the relevant year was due by the end of June 2026, but it had not been filed as of last weekend.

Dispute over tax reporting

Assore claims that Bissessor, in her dual roles, did not put Assmang’s interests above those of ARM. In court documents, the company called the missed tax deadline gross negligence and said it exposes Assmang to possible penalties, reputational damage and increased regulatory scrutiny.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

ARM, in turn, places responsibility for the delay on Assore, which carries out marketing activities for the joint venture. ARM requested access to Assore’s bank statements, but Assore refused, stating that during the joint venture’s 20 years of existence it had provided comprehensive financial information for tax and accounting purposes.

Conflict over Assmang’s management

Assore is also asking the court to confirm its right to receive information about Assmang’s operations and participate in decision-making, including on the appointment of senior executives. The company says that since July last year, its representatives have allegedly not been provided with important operational reports and have been excluded from decisions on the appointment and removal of executives.

ARM told the market that it considers Assore’s claims insufficiently substantiated, plans to defend itself in court, and is preparing its own proceedings concerning rights to manage Assmang and obtain data required to fulfil legal and regulatory obligations. For the year ended June 2026, Assmang’s sales amounted to 33 billion rand, of which ARM’s share was 16.6 billion rand.