Online Reporter
Tapiwanashe Mangwiro
Business Reporter
KAVANGO Resources has begun commissioning its newly-installed 50-tonne-per-day gold processing plant at the Hillside Gold Project in Zimbabwe, marking a major step towards commercial gold production.
The London Stock Exchange- and Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed mining company said the plant has transitioned from construction to live processing, with material sourced entirely from its own Hillside operations, including stockpiled and freshly milled gold-bearing sands.
Processing began on 1 July, with the plant recording an average capacity utilisation of 69 percent between 18 and 28 July. Ore is currently being processed through the crushing, milling, gravity concentration and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit as the company optimises operations.
Kavango has also established a fully equipped on-site laboratory with bottle roll, fire assay and atomic absorption spectrometer capabilities to support plant optimisation, exploration and mining activities.
Company chairman Mr Donald McAlister said the commissioning phase represented an important milestone for the business.
“The commencement of commissioning marks an important milestone for Kavango as we transition from construction to operational testing at Hillside,” he said.
“Our immediate priority is to commission the plant safely and methodically, optimising plant performance and establishing stable processing operations. The knowledge gained during this phase will support our plans to expand processing capacity and accelerate production growth across the Hillside Gold Project.”
The processing plant is a proof-of-concept facility designed to validate Kavango’s processing flowsheet ahead of commercial production. The Hillside project includes the Bill’s Luck underground deposit, which hosts a JORC-compliant mineral resource of 33 900 ounces of gold at an average grade of 2.68 grammes per tonne.
Metallurgical test work indicates expected operating recoveries of between 90 and 93 percent under commercial conditions. The company said it will provide further updates as it achieves key milestones, including first gold production and the completion of commissioning.
