Kavango confirms open-pit gold deposit at Nightshift prospect, Zimbabwe
Kavango confirms open-pit gold deposit at Nightshift prospect, Zimbabwe
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Kavango Resources plc, the Southern Africa-focused metals exploration and gold production company, has announced a major step forward in its gold development strategy with the confirmation of an open-pit gold deposit at the Nightshift Prospect, part of the Hillside Gold Project in Zimbabwe.
The company’s maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimation (JORC MRE) for Nightshift exceeded expectations and lays a strong foundation for accelerated gold production in the region.
· Kavango considers Nightshift to be a gold deposit, with significant upside potential, that is expected to deliver high ore tonnes per vertical metre and high ounces per vertical metre. These factors combined support Kavango’s strategy to exploit its gold resources to their full potential and increase gold production via modern mechanised mining and processing methods.
· A preliminary JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimation (the “JORC MRE“) has exceeded Kavango’s expectations, and the Company is now considering construction of an upgraded 300 tonne-per-day (“tpd”)gold processing plant at Bills Luck Gold Mine, at the Hillside Project, up from the originally planned 200tpd capacity.
o Nightshift is located 800 metres (“m”) to the West of the Bill’s Luck Gold Mine, where Kavango is building its first gold processing plant. The new resource underpins the Company’s planned near-term gold production at Hillside.
Nightshift Gold Block Grade Estimates – Plan View (100m grid)
· Due to Nightshift’s large footprint, the first resource definition drill programme targeted an area that the Kavango team believed was the most representative portion of the prospect. The objective was to identify a near-surface gold deposit that could be brought into production immediately.
o The JORC MRE reports a total resource of 20,000 ounces of gold (“oz/Au”) at 0.86 grams per tonne (“g/t”), with 11,000 oz/Au in the Indicated category and 9,000oz/Au at 0.98g/t in the Inferred category.
· Nightshift is a gold deposit that Kavango believes can support open-pit mining in the short term, and potentially underground mining in the future. Nightshift covers at least 700m of strike length and is roughly 200m wide.
o The system is open at depth, and the majority of the strike extent remains untested by drilling.
o Kavango’s technical team identified the potential for open-pit gold mining at Nightshift in 2024, following mapping and exploration drilling.
o The first three exploration holes all intersected gold-hosting structures >200m vertically below surface.
· In Q1 2025, Kavango completed preliminary resource drilling at Nightshift to test a 100m x 125m grid.
o Preliminary resource drilling tested approximately 15% of the known strike length at Nightshift.
o The objective was to identify sufficient ore to sustain a minimum three-year mine life in the first phase of production.
o The JORC MRE indicates that Nightshift contains sufficient mineralisation to support the Company’s initial production plans.
· Kavango’s technical team is now:
o Analysing the JORC MRE with a view to commencing shallow selective open-pit mining in H1 2026, with close spaced grade control drilling undertaken prior to mining.
o Planning further extensive exploration drilling along strike and at depth to test the underground potential at Nightshift.
o Completing a resource definition drill programme at Bill’s Luck, with an initial JORC MRE anticipated before year-end to guide and de-risk the Company’s 2026 mining plan.
Ben Turney, CEO of Kavango Resources, emphasized the strategic importance of this milestone: “This maiden JORC resource at Nightshift is a defining moment for Kavango. It proves that our gold development strategy in Zimbabwe is working and that our decision to focus on near-surface, fast-track production targets is delivering results.”
Resource Classification
He highlighted the speed of development — from initial exploration in 2023 to defining a compliant resource within two years — and praised the technical team for its execution.
“Our initial drilling covered only about 15% of the known 700-metre strike, and just 50m vertical depth, because we were focused on defining a starter resource to underpin early cash flow and prove the concept. The fact that the results have exceeded expectations at this stage gives us strong confidence in the greater potential of Nightshift.”
Turney also pointed to the underground potential, noting intercepts of gold-bearing structures more than 200m below the surface.
“We are now assessing an increase in our production capacity at Hillside from 200 to 300 tonnes per day to reflect the greater resource potential we have already demonstrated.”
Strategy for Hillside: Scaling up with modern processing
Kavango’s broader vision for its Zimbabwe operations is to scale gold production using modern Carbon in Leach (CIL) processing methods. These technologies offer significant improvements over the traditional VAT leaching systems commonly used in the country, especially in terms of throughput and gold recovery.
The company’s first CIL plant at Bill’s Luck — with a 50tpd capacity — is near commissioning. In light of the positive results at Nightshift, Kavango is now evaluating construction of a larger 250tpd plant, also at Bill’s Luck, which would increase total processing capacity at Hillside to 300tpd by mid-2026.
Geological and resource insights
The Nightshift deposit spans over 700m of strike and 200m in width, with multiple shear zones hosting gold-bearing quartz and sulphide veins. Initial resource drilling covered a relatively small portion — approximately 125m of strike — using a 25m x 25m drill grid to a vertical depth of 50m. This area was selected based on artisanal workings and geological indicators of strong mineralisation.
Due to complexities caused by artisanal depletion and structural variations, Kavango supported its modelling efforts with trenching between drill lines. These trenches revealed more about the lithological structure, helping the team extend some mineralised zones beyond the initial drill grid.
