CEO Clive Johnson said he is confident the permit renewal dispute will be resolved “over the course of the next few months."

The gold giant reported an 18% drop in third-quarter profit from the prior three-month period, weighed down by weaker prices for the precious metal.

Judge said while the complaint lists "tragic events" it could not trace a link back to US tech giants: "The only real connection is that the companies buy refined cobalt.”

Duncan Wanblad, 54, will be the first South African to run the company since Tony Trahar stepped down in 2007.