Kavango Resources has commissioned a 50-tonne-a-day gold processing plant at its Hillside Gold Project in Matabeleland South, taking the company a step closer to establishing a commercial gold mining operation in Zimbabwe, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s Matabeleland South office declared the processing plant and its tailings storage facility commissioned on October 30, following the completion of the concept phase development.
The plant will initially be used to test the company’s processing methods and establish the metallurgical performance of the Hillside orebody before Kavango considers expanding operations.
“Achieving statutory commissioning of the processing plant and TSF is a significant milestone for Hillside and an important step towards commercial-scale operations.
“The concept phase plant enables us to optimise processing performance, confirm metallurgical recoveries under operating conditions and further refine our understanding of the orebody ahead of larger-scale development. With expected gold recoveries of 90% to 93% from Hillside, we believe the project has the potential to become a meaningful and scalable gold production centre within our portfolio,” Kavango Chief Executive Officer Jasper Musadaidzwa said.
The development comes as Zimbabwe continues to attract investment in gold mining, with the country recording 46.7 tonnes of gold production in 2025, up from 36.48 tonnes in the previous year. The increase was driven by higher deliveries from both large-scale producers and artisanal and small-scale miners.
For Kavango, the Hillside plant provides an opportunity to establish the project’s processing performance before investing in a larger facility. The company expects gold recoveries of between 90% and 93%, although actual performance under sustained operations will be important in determining the project’s commercial potential.
Kavango is also upgrading infrastructure at Hillside to accommodate future expansion. The company said its immediate focus is on improving plant efficiency and collecting operational data to guide the design of a commercial-scale processing facility.
The commissioning of the plant and tailings storage facility marks an important development in the project’s progression from exploration and development towards gold production.
