Kavango Begins Commissioning of Hillside Gold Processing Plant in Zimbabwe
Kavango Starts Commissioning 50 TPD Hillside Gold Plant as Zimbabwe Production Nears
Kavango Resources has begun commissioning its 50-tonne-per-day gold processing plant at the Hillside Gold Project in Zimbabwe, marking a major step towards commercial production.
The London- and Victoria Falls-listed company has moved the project from construction into live processing, with ore sourced entirely from its Hillside operations.
The plant is designed to process material through crushing, milling, gravity concentration and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuits.
Kavango has been progressively introducing gold-bearing material into the plant while optimising the processing circuit and establishing stable operating conditions.
The company has also commissioned an on-site laboratory equipped to conduct bottle-roll tests, fire assays and atomic absorption spectroscopy, supporting process optimisation, grade control and exploration activities.
The Hillside processing plant represents the first phase of Kavango’s development strategy in Zimbabwe.
Data generated during commissioning will be used to optimise operations and inform potential increases in processing capacity.
The company is targeting first gold production as commissioning progresses, with the plant expected to provide important operational data on throughput, recovery and overall performance.
The Hillside project includes the Bill’s Luck underground deposit, which hosts a JORC-compliant mineral resource of 33,900 ounces of gold grading 2.68 grams per tonne. Expected plant recoveries are in the range of 90% to 93%.
Kavango said the commissioning programme will focus on establishing stable operations while laying the groundwork for future expansion.
The start of processing marks a significant milestone for the company as it moves Hillside closer to commercial gold production and seeks to build a larger-scale mining operation in Zimbabwe.
