- Kavango has started commissioning its Hillside gold processing plant.
- The plant is processing ore from Kavango’s own mining operations.
- First gold production will follow after commissioning is complete.
KAVANGO Resources has started commissioning its 50-tonne-per-day gold processing plant at the Hillside Gold Project in Zimbabwe, moving the project from construction into operational testing as it prepares for first gold production.
The London Stock Exchange and Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed company said processing began on 1 July 2026, using gold-bearing material from its own Hillside operations. Feed currently includes stockpiled material and freshly milled gold-bearing sands.
Between 18 July and 28 July, the plant operated at an average utilisation rate of 69%, with material passing through the full processing circuit. This includes crushing, milling, gravity concentration and carbon-in-leach (CIL), the company said.
Kavango said tests on loaded carbon confirmed that gold is being successfully captured in the CIL circuit. The next stage will introduce run-of-mine ore into the plant while engineers continue to optimise operating conditions.
“The commencement of commissioning marks an important milestone for Kavango as we transition from construction to operational testing at Hillside,” Non-Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer Donald McAlister said.
“Our immediate priority is to commission the plant safely and methodically, optimising plant performance and establishing stable processing operations.”
The company said the plant is designed as a proof-of-concept operation to test its processing flowsheet and expected gold recoveries before expanding to commercial-scale production. If successful, the model could support larger processing capacity at Hillside in future.
Earlier metallurgical test work found the Hillside ore suitable for conventional carbon-in-leach processing. Laboratory tests achieved recoveries above 95% under ideal conditions, while the company expects recoveries of 90% to 93% under commercial operating conditions.
To support operations, Kavango has established an on-site laboratory equipped for bottle roll testing, fire assays and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The laboratory will be used for grade control, metallurgical optimisation and exploration work.
The processing plant will initially be supplied by the Bill’s Luck Underground Mine, one of several deposits within the Hillside Gold Project near Bulawayo. A maiden JORC-compliant mineral resource published in February estimated 33,900 ounces of gold at an average grade of 2.68 grams per tonne at Bill’s Luck.
The Bill’s Luck estimate increased Hillside’s total JORC-compliant resource to 52,900 ounces, including the Nightshift deposit. Kavango has said the updated resource provides the foundation for longer-term mine planning and possible future expansion of processing capacity.
