Promising drilling results at Blanket Mine

Mr Mark Learmonth, Caledonia chief executive officer, said the 2025 Q1 production had set a first quarter record at Blanket due to strong performance in a period traditionally regarded as the weakest.

Sikhulekelani Moyo, Zimpapers Business Hub

CALEDONIA Mining Corporation Plc says the ongoing exploration drilling exercise at Blanket Mine in Gwanda is yielding encouraging results, boosting the company’s confidence in its mineral resource and indicating potential for future growth.

In a statement, Caledonia said the drilling programme is aimed at evaluating the continuity of mineralised zones within the Blanket, Eroica and Lima orebodies — three of the main orebodies at Blanket Mine.

The objectives of the programme are to increase confidence in the existing mineral resource and to expand the mineral resource estimate below the 34 level of the mine (1 110 metres).

Caledonia Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mark Learmonth, said the grades and widths observed in the current drilling campaign are comparable to — and in some cases significantly better than — those from previous campaigns, which is highly encouraging.

“Our ongoing drilling campaign continues to demonstrate encouraging results, further improving our confidence in the Blanket Mine mineral resource and pointing to additional future mineral resource growth.

“We anticipate that the positive grades and widths will result in an increased overall mineral resource estimate, which in due course should lead to an extension of the existing life of mine. We have invested heavily in Blanket Mine over the last seven years to increase production capacity, resulting in mine infrastructure that can sustain production beyond the current horizon,” said Mr Learmonth.

The ongoing exploration drilling exercise at Blanket Mine in Gwanda is yielding encouraging results, boosting the company’s confidence in its mineral resource and indicating potential for future growth (File picture)

Drilling is focused on the Blanket and Eroica orebodies, where crosscuts have been developed, to allow optimal access to deeper zones of the steeply dipping orebodies.

“These results are extremely promising, and we look forward to the next phase of drilling and updating the market accordingly,” he said.

According to Caledonia, results from 6 976 metres of underground drilling conducted between January 2024 and the end of April 2025, indicate that the Blanket and Eroica orebodies have grades and widths that are generally better than expected. The Lima orebody has also been shown to continue below the 22 level (750 metres).

The company also reported the intersection of a new potential orebody in the Blanket orebody area, with impressive grades and widths.

Caledonia continues to invest in Zimbabwe, aiming to establish itself as a multi-asset gold producer, with an ambitious target of producing over 250 000 ounces of gold per year.

While its immediate strategic focus remains on Blanket Mine, the company has also acquired Bilboes and Mutapa as part of its strategy to build a portfolio of high-quality gold assets in Zimbabwe.