Modern Mining July 2019

COUNTRY FOCUS: BOTSWANA

Cupric’s Zone 5 mine in the Kalahari enters construction

The much-anticipated Zone 5 copper/silver mine of Cupric Canyon Capital (Cupric) in Botswana will be one of the most advanced mechanised and automated underground mines in Africa. This is the view of Johan Ferreira, CEO of Cupric, who says the mine will provide the foundation for an eventual copper production from Cupric’s tenements in the Kalahari Copperbelt that could exceed 180 kt/a of copper. The Zone 5 site, part of the overall Khoemacau copper/sil- ver project, is currently a hive of activity with work on three massive boxcuts already well advanced.

has directed the development of the Khoemacau project since 2017 when he joined Cupric as Head of Africa Operations. He has since taken over as CEO of Cupric and is also CEO of Cupric’s subsidiary in Botswana, Khoemacau Copper Mining. During his career he has served as Senior VP, South African Operations for AngloGold Ashanti, and as Senior VP – Africa Region for Newmont, based in Ghana. The Zone 5 mine was officially launched on 28 June when a ground-breaking cere- mony attended by the President of Botswana, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, was held on site. Zone 5 will not, of course, be the first cop- per mine in the Kalahari Copperbelt. First off the mark was the Boseto open-pit mine of Discovery Metals, which opened in 2012 only to close down in early 2015. Factors contribut- ing to Boseto’s failure were a weakening copper price, the high cost of power (it was entirely dependent on diesel gensets), a very high strip ratio and a greater depth of oxidation of the orebody than was anticipated, leading to poor recoveries in the process plant. Ferreira is confident that the problems that beset the Discovery operation will not be encountered by Cupric. “Not only will we have grid power from Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) in time for start-up but the Zone 5 mine

F erreira, who spoke to Modern Min- ing at the recent Botswana Resource Sector Conference in Gaborone, says the first phase of the Zone 5 mine (the ‘Starter Project’) will produce approximately 62 000 kt/a of cop- per and 1,9 Moz/silver at a C1 cash cost of US$1,47/lb and will provide the foundation for further phases of growth which could see cop- per production from the Khoemacau copper/ silver project eventually topping the 180 kt/a mark. He adds that the Starter Project – already fully funded through to completion – has a ca- pex of US$397 million. A mining engineer by profession, Ferreira

Below: Aerial view of the Zone 5 mine site.

Below right: Excavating the boxcuts is a massive earthmoving exercise.

30  MODERN MINING  July 2019