EXHIBIT 99.1



PRESS RELEASE - OCTOBER 14, 2003


           WITS BASIN PRECIOUS MINERALS CLOSES $1.3M PRIVATE PLACEMENT

MINNEAPOLIS, OCTOBER 14 - Wits Basin Precious Minerals Inc., (OTCBB: WITM) f/k/a
Active IQ Technologies, Inc. announced that it had received $1,314,500 in gross
proceeds from a private placement consisting of 5,258,000 units, each unit
consisting of one share of common stock and one-half of a one year warrant to
purchase one share of common stock at a price of $0.75 per share. The securities
sold have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, but were offered
in reliance on the exemption from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act. The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States
absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration
requirements.

The purpose of the offering was to provide Wits Basin with sufficient capital to
make its second payment required under its Active Hawk Precious Minerals LLC
joint venture.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an
offer to buy any of the securities of the Company.

ABOUT WITS BASIN PRECIOUS MINERALS INC.

Wits Basin (OTCBB: WITM) is actively participating in a joint venture for the
exploration of gold minerals in the Republic of South Africa. Wits Basin is
headquartered in Minneapolis, MN with offices in Toronto, ON.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for historical information contained herein, this news release also
includes forward-looking statements. All statements regarding potential
mineralization and reserves, exploration results and future objectives of Wits
Basin, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and
uncertainties. There can be no assurance that that such statements will prove to
be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements.

Contact Information:

Wits Basin Precious Minerals Inc.
H. Vance White, CEO, 416.214.2250
or
Mark D. Dacko, CFO, 612.664.0570