Kavango Resources has taken a significant step towards becoming a gold producer after commencing commissioning of its newly installed 50-tonne-per-day processing plant at the Hillside Gold Project in Matabeleland, marking the transition from mine development to operational testing.
The London Stock Exchange- and Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed exploration and gold development company said the completion of the processing plant installation represents the first phase in its strategy to advance Hillside towards commercial production.
Commissioning, a critical stage before full-scale production, involves testing and optimising every component of the processing plant under normal operating conditions to ensure stable and efficient operations.
Kavango said processing began on July 1, using gold-bearing material sourced entirely from its own Hillside operations, including both previously stockpiled material and freshly milled sands.
The company reported that between 18 July 18 and July 28, the plant achieved an average capacity utilisation of 69 percent as it processed ore through its crushing, milling, gravity concentration and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit.
A key milestone during the commissioning phase has been confirmation that gold is being successfully adsorbed within the CIL circuit, providing early validation of the plant’s processing systems.
The company said it will gradually introduce run-of-mine ore into the processing feed as operating parameters continue to be refined and optimised.
To support operations, Kavango has also established a fully equipped on-site laboratory capable of carrying out bottle roll testing, fire assays and Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) analysis.
The laboratory will enable rapid assessment of process samples, helping improve plant performance while supporting exploration, grade control and mining activities across the project. Kavango chairman Mr Donald McAlister described the commencement of commissioning as an important milestone in the company’s growth strategy.
“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.
“We look forward to ramping up production at Hillside and further advancing our wider portfolio, including evaluating the strategic opportunities available at Nara.”
The Hillside processing plant was developed as a proof-of-concept facility intended to validate the company’s processing flowsheet, confirm expected metallurgical recoveries and demonstrate
Kavango’s ability to design, build and operate modern gold processing infrastructure before embarking on larger-scale expansion.
The project is underpinned by 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 undertaken on ore from the Bill’s Luck and Nightshift deposits previously achieved gold recoveries exceeding 95 percent under laboratory conditions, with expected commercial plant recoveries of between 90 and 93 percent.-herald
