RNS Number:2640J
BHP Billiton PLC
27 March 2003

Issued by:      BHP Billiton Plc

To: Company Announcements Office                 cc: New York Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange                            Swiss Stock Exchange
Old Broad Street                                     New Zealand Stock Exchange
London EC2N 1HP                                      Johannesburg Stock Exchange
United Kingdom                                       Paris Bourse (Euronext)
                                                     Deutsche Bank
Company Announcements Office
The Australian Stock Exchange
4th Floor, 20 Bridge Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia



Date:             27 March 2003

For Release:      Immediately

Contact:          Ines Watson +44 (0)20 7802 4176



                   Notification of Major Interests in Shares



The following notification was received on 26 March 2003 by BHP Billiton Plc in
a letter from Old Mutual plc dated 26 March 2003 relating to major interests in
shares of BHP Billiton Plc as at 21 March 2003:

"Disclosure under s 198 - 212 Companies Act

Please find notification pursuant to Section 198 of the Companies Act 1985, that
as at 21st March 2003, Old Mutual Plc and its direct and indirect subsidiaries
had a material interest in 120,425,765 ordinary shares of BHP Billiton plc,
representing 4.88% of the issued share capital. The shares are registered as per
the attached schedule.

Although the disclosure concerns the position as at close of business on Friday
21st March, please note that a net increase in holdings by Old Mutual Asset
Managers (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (on behalf of its clients) of 23,270,300 on
17th March 2003 took Old Mutual Plc's aggregate holdings above 4%."

Registered holdings of BHP Billiton Plc share capital by Old Mutual Companies at
21 March 2003

  Total Shares issued       Number of Shares                     Company                       Registered Holder

          2,468,147,002                62,108,585 Old Mutual Asset Managers (South      Old Mutual Life Assurance
                                                  Africa) (Pty) Ltd                     Company (South Africa) Ltd

                                                0 Old Mutual Asset Managers (South      Rodina Investments (Pty) Ltd
                                                  Africa) (Pty) Ltd

                                                0 PeregrineQuant (Pty) Ltd (Not an Old  Old Mutual Life Assurance
                                                  Mutual Company)                       Company (South Africa) Ltd

                                                0 Coronation Fund Managers Ltd (Not an  Old Mutual Life Assurance
                                                  Old Mutual Company)                   Company (South Africa) Ltd

                                        1,151,547 Old Mutual Asset Managers (South      Old Mutual Unit Trusts (SA)
                                                  Africa) (Pty) Ltd                     Limited

                                       25,555,504 Old Mutual Asset Managers (South      Old Mutual Asset Managers (South
                                                  Africa) (Pty) Ltd                     Africa) (Pty) Ltd (Managed Fund
                                                                                        Client Assets)

                                           86,000 Old Mutual Asset Managers (South      Omnibon No 13 (Pty) Limited
                                                  Africa) (Pty) Ltd

                                          354,183 Old Mutual Asset Managers (Namibia)   Old Mutual Life Assurance
                                                  (Pty) Ltd                             Company (Namibia) Ltd

                                          232,849 Old Mutual Asset Managers (Namibia)   Old Mutual Holdings (Namibia)
                                                  (Pty) Ltd                             (Pty) Ltd

                                          112,125 Old Mutual Asset Managers (Namibia)   Old Mutual Asset Managers
                                                  (Pty) Ltd                             (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd (Managed
                                                                                        Fund Client Assets)

                                            6,089 Old Mutual Asset Managers (South      Old Mutual Unit Trusts (Namibia)
                                                  Africa) (Pty) Ltd                     Limited

                                        3,705,874 Old Mutual Asset Managers (Bermuda)   Old Mutual Global Asset Fund
                                                  Ltd

                                       10,409,248 Old Mutual Asset Managers (Bermuda)   Old Mutual South Africa Equity
                                                  Ltd                                   Trust Limited

                                          871,406 Old Mutual Asset Managers (Bermuda)   Old Mutual South African Trust
                                                  Ltd                                   Plc

                                        5,373,054 Quantitive Asset Management           Nedbank Nominees Ltd

                                           82,845 Quantitive Asset Management           Standard Bank Nominees Ltd

                                          204,707 Syfrets Securities                    Syfrets Securities Nominees
                                                                                        (Pty) Ltd

                                        5,235,100 Franklin Templeton/NIB Investments    Nedcor Bank Nominees Ltd and
                                                                                        Standard Bank Nominees (Pty) Ltd

                                          481,879 Nedcor Investment Bank Multi Manager  Standard Bank Nominees (Pty)
                                                                                        Limited

                                            5,101 Nedcor Investment Bank Securities     Marser Nominees (Pty) Limited

                                        1,091,288 Mutual & Federal Limited              Mutual & Federal Limited

                                          114,634 Mutual & Federal Namibia Limited      Mutual & Federal Namibia Limited

                                          411,651 CGU Insurance                         CGU Insurance

                                          212,850 CGU Holdings                          CGU Holdings

                                          106,425 Sentrasure                            Sentrasure

                                          292,199 Quaystone Ltd                         ABSA Nominees Ltd

                                          360,131 Quaystone Ltd                         Nedcor Bank Nominees Ltd

                                        1,860,491 Quaystone Ltd                         Standard Bank Nominees
                                                                                        (Transvaal) (Pty) Limited

                                      120,425,765                                       4.88%


BHP Billiton Limited ABN 49 004 028 077                 BHP Billiton Plc Registration number 3196209
Registered in Australia                                 Registered in England and Wales
Registered Office: 600 Bourke Street Melbourne Victoria Registered Office: Neathouse Place London SW1V 1BH United
3000                                                    Kingdom
Telephone +61 3 9609 3333 Facsimile +61 3 9609 3015     Telephone +44 20 7802 4000 Facsimile +44 20 7802 4111

              The BHP Billiton Group is headquartered in Australia




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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