LONDON. New Ordinary Shares of £1. yellow, black. No F8585. Folds and a few small edge-splits. Decorated with plants and coat-of-arms of South Africa. Formed in 1887 to acquire and deal in mineral lands in South Africa. It took over other similar companies, and under the energetic control of Cecil Rhodes, becamea very large investor in many leading South African gold companies. Company was liquidated in the 1980s. The company played a key role in ending apartheid in South Africa, initiating secret discussions between the South African government and the African National Congress at the company's estate which ultimately resulted in the release of Nelson Mandela.