The boardroom battle at Impala Platinum (Implats) has resulted in the unceremonious ousting of chairman Fred Roux, removed after a "strained, distant" relationship with chief executive officer David Brown and the board.

In a surprise move yesterday, Implats, the world's second largest platinum miner, said Roux would step down as nonexecutive chairman immediately.

Michael McMahon was named acting chairman.

"There had been ongoing tensions between the chairman and his other directors for some time now, and the board decided that his departure was the best thing to do," Implats spokesman Bob Gilmour said.

"Then things came to a head, and the situation which had been going on for six months had to be resolved."

Roux said in a statement his relationship with Brown had been strained.

His departure comes after he initially rejected a request by the board for his resignation, showing that the parting of ways was anything but cordial.

"I will not accede to that request because shareholders are entitled to transparency in all matters concerning their company, and I am entitled to defend my reputation," Roux said.

Roux, who had been chairman of Implats since 2004, conceded that his relationship with Brown had been strained after his criticism of underperformance by Implats management.

"I have to concede, however, that the relationship between David Brown and me has been under a measure of strain recently. This was probably because, in my recent chairman's letter to shareholders, I did the unthinkable, and actually criticised the Implats executives for a sub-standard performance during the past year, basically, 'overpromising and underdelivering'," he said.

"I have received many compliments from shareholders for the honesty and transparency associated with such a step and, under similar circumstances, would do it again."

According to Roux, pressure for him to step down had come from Niall Carroll, chief executive officer of Royal Bafokeng — one of Implats' largest shareholders — who raised concerns about the breakdown in Roux's relationship with Brown and an "apparent rift between executive directors and certain nonexecutive directors".

This, Carroll said, was "pursuant to a recent incident", which related to "Mvela transactions".

Earlier this year, Implats abandoned plans to buy Mvelaphanda Resources and its Northam Platinum unit, citing the global economic climate as the reason.

Roux said his removal had been decided at a board meeting from which he was absent, where he had been asked to resign, failing which his chairmanship would be deemed to have been terminated.

"Since I have refused to resign, I am no longer chairman of Implats as a result of — in my opinion — an unjustifiable dismissal by the board," he said.

Roux said that Carroll's main reason for the request for him to step down was that his (Roux’s) relationship with Brown had broken down "pursuant to a recent incident".

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