Modern Mining June 2018

MINING News

Timeframe established for Khoemacau project

Botswana’s long-awaited Khoemacau copper/silver project is now ready to enter the mine development phase, with early works due to start in October this year and the full project release scheduled for Q1 2019 with the commencement of the boxcuts. This was said at the recent Botswana Resource Sector Conference in Gaborone by Johannes Tsimako, Country Manager, Khoemacau Copper Mining, who disclosed that the mine – which will cost US$391 mil- lion to develop – would produce its first concentrate by Q1 2021. Khoemacau Copper Mining is the Botswanan subsidiary of US-based Cupric Canyon Capital. Cupric acquired the Khoemacau property in 2013. In 2015 it purchased the neighbouring Boseto property, including a new 3 Mt/a concen- trator which was commissioned in 2012 by Australia’s Discovery Metals, and a Tailings

produce 1,2 Mt/a – would use the sub-level open-stoping method with a planned con- version to backfill in the future. Resources available to the Zone 5 proj- ect (including Zone 5 North which was discovered in 2016 and the Zeta NE deposit) total 185Mt at 2%Cu and 27 g/t Ag. Cupric, however, has extensive tenements in the Kalahari Copperbelt area extending over 4 000 km 2 and total resources are estimated at 502 Mt at 1 % Cu and 17 g/t Ag. According to Tsimako, the Starter Project is likely to be followed by further phases of development, with the first expansion being from 60 kt/a of copper to 100 kt/a, which would require a new plant to be built at Zone 5. Ultimately, he said, a yearly production of 180 kt plus of copper was possible based on current resources over the entire property area, including the Banana Zone located roughly 60 km south- west of Zone 5. 

Storage Facility (TSF). Discovery Metals mothballed the Boseto mine in late 2014. Tsimako said the first phase of develop- ment – the ‘Starter Project’– would see the development of a 3,6 Mt/a underground mine at Khoemacau’s Zone 5 deposit with the ore being trucked over a distance of 35 km (using 100-tonne trucks) to the Boseto concentrator for treatment. The concentrator will be upgraded to a capac- ity of 3,6 Mt/a to enable it to process all the ore produced by the Starter Project. The new mine is expected to pro- duce 155 kt/a of 42 % clean, dry copper (cu) concentrate, with 375 g/t silver (Ag) – which translates to 60 kt/a of copper metal and 2 Moz/a silver. Expected Cu and Ag recoveries are 87,8 % and plus 86 % respectively. Tsimako said the new mine – which would consist of three separate boxcuts and spiral decline systems, each able to

The Boseto concentrator, which will be upgraded to 3,6 Mt/a capacity (photo: Arthur Tassell).

AfriTin appoints civil works contractor for Uis AIM-listed AfriTin Mining, which is planning to restart the Uis tin mine in Namibia, has provided an update on its operations.

Commenting on the appointment, Afritin’s CEO, Anthony Viljoen, stated, “I am very pleased to announce this appointment, signalling the beginning of mine construc- tion, in what is another positive step in ensuring that planned production remains on track for commencement H2 2018. The appointment of local contractors attests to our commitment towards establishing Uis as a proudly Namibian operation. “We are confident in the contractor’s ability to execute on the project and we look forward to construction commencing in the very near future.” 

engineers. Phase 1 is designed to process 500 000 tonnes per annum. The commencement of construction of the civil works will involve the follow- ing: platforms and earthworks; upgrading and re-alignment of access and plant roads; a run-of-mine tip retaining wall; bulk infrastructure; and internal plant infrastructure. The contractor is a local, Namibian company specialising in construction and project management.

Following a comprehensive tender pro- cess, the company has appointed a civil works contractor, known as Ino Invest, which will be responsible for the construc- tion of the civil works required at the Uis mine. The construction is to be executed in accordance with the scope, description, drawings, specifications, delivery dates and terms and conditions provided by AfriTin’s

8  MODERN MINING  June 2018