Lonmin Plc -Announcement

Lonmin Plc
share code  : LON
ISIN        : GB0002568144.
15 OCTOBER 2001

Lonmin Plc has today been notified by Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc that by
reason of the provisions of Section 203 of the Companies Act 1985, it has,
with effect from 10 October 2001, a disclosable interest in 16,279,654
ordinary shares of GBP1 each of the Company (representing 9.49 per cent of
the current issued share capital):

A)  The companies in Schedule 1 below (being certain holding companies of
Merrill Lynch Investment Managers Ltd ("MLIM")) have the interests in the
relevant share capital of Lonmin Plc disclosed in Schedule 3 below.

B)  The companies in Schedule 2 below, which are holding companies of MLIM
and of certain other companies have the interests in the relevant share
capital of Lonmin Plc disclosed in Schedule 3 below and in an additional
923,018 shares totalling 17,202,672.
SCHEDULE 1
NAME                              ADDRESS

Merrill Lynch Investment          33 King William Street
Managers Ltd                      London
                                  EC4R 9AS

ML Invest Holdings Limited        25 Ropemaker Street
                                  London
                                  EC2Y 9LY

ML Invest, Inc                    World Financial Center
                                  North Tower
                                  50 Vesey Street
                                  New York
                                  NY 10281-1332
SCHEDULE 2

Merrill Lynch Group, Inc          World Financial Center
                                  North Tower
                                  50 Vesey Street
                                  New York
                                  NY 10281-1332

Merrill Lynch & Co, Inc           World Financial Center
                                  North Tower
                                  50 Vesey Street
                                  New York
                                  NY 10281-1332
SCHEDULE 3

REGISTERED HOLDER          NO OF SHARES      BENEFICIAL

(if known)                                   INTERESTS

                                             (YES/NO)
Nutraco Nominees           8,487,911         No
Limited(Designated &
Undesignated)
Merrill Lynch Pensions     756,589           Yes
Nominees Limited A/C
NONCERT
RBSTB Nominees Limited     394,336           No
29 Gracechurch Street      78,600            No
Nominees Limited
Nortrust Nominees Limited  219,867           No
Bank of New York Nominees  620,122           No
Limited
Chase Nominees Limited     2,458,884         No
Other Names                3,263,345         No
TOTAL                      16,279,654
END