Information notice on the official gold and foreign exchange reserves of theSouth African Reserve Bank as at 30 April 2005 This notice provides details of the US dollar equivalent of the level of the Reserve Bank’s official gold and foreign exchange reserves as at 30 April 2005 published today in the Bank’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The notice also provides details of the level of outstanding foreign loans, the foreign exchange forward and the international liquidity position (net reserves).   As at30 April 2005(‘million)As at31 March 2005(‘million) Change(‘million)Gold reserves '1$1,724$1,706$18Foreign exchange reserves$14,318$14,162$156Gross reserves$16,042$15,868$174Foreign loans-$3,486-$3,498$12Forward position '3-$16$11-$27International liquidity position  (net reserves)$12,540$12,381$159Rand/Dollar exchange rateMarket gold price '1Statutory gold price '2R6.1000$432.650R2,639.17R6.2350$428.150R2,669.52    At the end of April 2005 the official gross gold and foreign exchange reserves amounted to US$16,0 billion and net reserves to US$12,5 billion. As part of its normal operations, the Reserve Bank continued to purchase foreign exchange from the market during April in order to increase its foreign exchange reserves levels.  _____________________________1 Gold in US dollar terms is reflected at middle market rates while, in rand terms for balance sheet reporting, the gold holdings are reflected at the statutory price. For reporting purposes all foreign currency figures have been converted to US dollar at middle market rates at month end.2 The Minister of Finance has on 6 March 2005, after consultation with the South African Reserve Bank(“SARB”), under Section 25(1) of the South African Reserve Bank Act, 1989 (Act No. 90 of 1989), agreed that, for statutory price purposes, all gold of the SARB be valued at the market price taken at 14h30 on each valuation date.3   The forward position is made up of unsettled foreign currency spot, forward and swap transactions.