Kavango Resources Plc (Kavango) plans to commission a 50 tons-per-day carbon-in-pulp plant in the second quarter of 2026, as it moves to start commercial production at its Hillside gold project in Zimbabwe.
Hillside – 100 percent-owned by Kavango – is a high-grade gold exploration and production project in Zimbabwe’s Filabusi Greenstone Belt.
Alex Gorman, Kavango’s executive director and chief operating officer, said “a decision was taken to install a 50t/d CIP plant at Hillside in summer 2025”.
“The objective was to take a first step into commercial production and to prove processes and gold recovery. The plant, which will start up at 50t/d, consists of a two-stage closed crushing circuit, closed milling circuit, cyanidation and gold recovery circuit, and tailings disposal unit,” she said in the mining group’s financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2026.
“Commissioning is expected in Q2 2026,” Gorman said, adding that “scoping work is now ongoing to expand production at Hillside to 250t/d ore (8,000ozpa)”.
She said Bill’s Luck Mine will be the primary source of ore for the 50t/d.
“To this end, development work is ongoing to deepen the existing Main Vertical Shaft, develop ahead of stoping and upgrade infrastructure,” Gorman said.
Peter Wynter Bee, Kavango’s chairman and interim chief executive, said: “At Bills Luck…Kavango is evaluating an increase in processing capacity…and is focused on the commissioning of its 50t/d pilot carbon-in-pulp gold processing plant…expected Q2 2026.”
“The team is now working on a scoping study for the upgrade of the plant to 250t/d,” he said.
Hillside Project spans multiple prospects – Bill’s Luck, Nightshift, and Prospect 3 and 4 – targeting shear-hosted gold in a 650m x 150m area.
With a total JORC-compliant resource of 52,900 ounces, it is undergoing rapid development and a shift toward commercial mechanised mining.