West Wits Mining Ltd (ASX:WWI) has successfully produced the first ore from the Witwatersrand Basin Gold Project (WBP) in South Africa, a world-class gold deposit with a JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate of 4.28 million ounces at 4.58 g/t gold.
The project is on the way to becoming a major gold mine in South Africa, with West Wits targeting ultimate production levels of up to 95,000 ounces per year.
The company says the early mining initiative will build-up to a production rate of 5,000 to 8,000 ounces per month, while project development continues.
“Historic moment for West Wits”
“This is a historic moment for West Wits as we deliver our first ore from our Witwatersrand Basin Project,” West Wits Mining managing director Jac van Heerden said.
“I must compliment the team, who were able to establish the site, rehabilitate the box cut and the declines and access the ore in a safe manner, all in a space of four months.
“This has created the benchmark and an example of how the remainder of the larger project will be executed.
“I also wish to thank our shareholders for their continuing support. We look forward to keeping the market up to date with activities on the ground as we step into our new phase as a gold producer.”
Early Mining Initiative at Qala Shallows
WWI determined the early mining initiative was an opportunity to establish a small-scale mining operation, with the objective to proof the designed mining method to mine areas already exposed at WBP.
The ore tonnes from the initiative will supplement the tonnes from the larger mining operation, as described in the recent announcement following the completion of the definitive feasibility study (DFS).
Read: West Wits Mining to establish small mining footprint at Qala Shallows from February 2022
The DFS reported a 17-year life-of-mine (LOM) project for the Stage 1 Qala Shallows alone and 7.3 million tonnes at 2.81g/t recovered grade for 663,000 ounces recovered gold for WBP’s initial stage.
About West Wits Mining
West Wits Mining is an exploration and development company targeting gold in two prolific regions, Witwatersrand in South Africa and the Pilbara in Australia.
The company aims to transition to a mid-tier gold producer from its flagship project in South Africa’s Central Rand Goldfield, the Witwatersrand Basin Project (WBP).
West Wits is also targeting gold, volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS) and manganese at its Mt Cecelia Project within the highly prospective Paterson Province region of Western Australia’s East Pilbara, having just entered into a joint venture term sheet with Rio Tinto subsidiary, Rio Tinto Exploration Pty Limited, to explore the tenement.