Kavango Resources (LSE:KAV), the Southern Africa-focused metals exploration and gold development company, began commissioning its 50 tonne per day gold processing plant at the Hillside project in Zimbabwe.
Processing started on 1 July, using stockpiled and freshly milled gold-bearing sands sourced entirely from Kavango's own Hillside operations.
The plant achieved average capacity utilisation of 69% between 18 and 28 July, with material now running through crushing, milling, gravity concentration and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuits.
Testing has confirmed gold is being successfully adsorbed within the CIL circuit, and the company will next begin blending run-of-mine ore into the feed as it optimises operating parameters.
Kavango has also established an on-site laboratory at Hillside, equipped with bottle roll, fire assay and Atomic Absorption Spectrometer capabilities to support plant optimisation and grade control.
The plant serves as a proof-of-concept facility, validating Kavango's processing flowsheet ahead of a push toward commercial production at Hillside.
Bill's Luck Underground, part of the project, hosts a JORC-compliant resource of 33,900 ounces of gold at 2.68 grams per tonne, with metallurgical test work pointing to expected operating recoveries of 90% to 93%.
"The commencement of commissioning marks an important milestone for Kavango as we transition from construction to operational testing at Hillside," said Donald McAlister, chairman.
The company said it would provide further updates as it reaches milestones including first gold production and completion of commissioning.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Kavango has moved its Hillside gold plant from construction into live commissioning, processing ore at 69% capacity utilisation in late July and confirming gold recovery in its carbon-in-leash circuit. The shift to operational testing—with on-site assay capability now in place—validates the processing flowsheet and clears a critical path item before commercial production, reducing execution risk on a project that holds 33,900 ounces of JORC resource at expected 90–93% recovery.
Commissioning success de-risks the Hillside development and moves Kavango from a pure exploration story toward a near-term producer. The next material milestones—first gold pour and full commissioning completion—will test whether the plant can sustain higher utilisation rates and transition smoothly to run-of-mine ore feed.
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