Johannesburg - Sasol, the world’s biggest producer of
liquid fuels, said first-half profit declined as much as 44 percent from a year
earlier.
This was due to currency losses and a strike at its
synfuels operation in South Africa.
Profit before one-time items, known as headline earnings,
probably decreased by between R8.26 and R10.68 from R24.28 a year earlier, the
Johannesburg said in a statement on Thursday.
Read also: Sasol workers down tools
Earnings per share in the six months to December 31
probably increased by 12 percent to 22 percent, Sasol said.
The company saw translation losses of about R1.3 billion ($98
million) due to the strengthening of the rand against the dollar, while labour
action at its Secunda mining operations resulted in a cost of about R1 billion,
Sasol said.
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