The Nampundwe pyrite deposit is situated on the western flank of a synformal basin composed of basement rocks, which are unconformably overlain by Katangan sediments. The deposit is hosted within limestones and schists of the Middle Katangan Cheta Formation, which roughly correlates with the upper portion of the Lower Roan Group. The Cheta Formation dips steeply to the northeast and is tightly folded with a northwest-southeast trending axial trace. The deposit comprises stratabound, massive-sulphide mineralisation located in a thick (50m to 130m) sequence of massive dolomites and limestones. No significant faulting has been identified either within the host zone or the individual orebodies.

The primary sulphide mineralisation at Nampundwe is pyrite with minor amounts of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and covellite.

Four orebodies occur over a strike length of about 1,600 m and dip from 70° to vertical along fold limbs and from 25° to 70° near the noses of folds. They thin at the fringes of the orebody and down-dip. The sulphide orebodies are overlain by oxide caps (gossans) that extend from surface to a depth of 60m. These deposits are generally parallel and range in thickness from 5-20 m. The oxide caps act as natural conduits for water thus making Nampundwe Mine relatively wet. The orebodies have been identified to a depth of 300 m below surface and remain open at depth.

The primary sulphide mineralisation at Nampundwe is pyrite with minor amounts of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and covellite. Gangue mineralisation is of calcite, dolomite, quartz, magnetite, talc, mica and iron oxides. Pyrite mineralisation occurs as disseminated grains, bedding parallel layers, and as thick continuous zones up to 2 m thick. Copper mineralization was strongly developed in the upper parts of the orebody but these areas have now been mined out.

Mining operations currently exploit the steeply dipping ore bodies by conventional underground mining methods that are accessed via two vertical shafts, the No. 1 and the No. 2 shaft that provide access to a maximum depth of 300 metres below the surface. The mining method employed at the Nampundwe mine is conventional sub level open stoping with fan drilling.

RoM ore from underground is hoisted directly onto the concentrator shaft bin for primary crushing before it is conveyed through the 120-tonnes/hour belt for secondary crushing.

The concentrator comprises conventional crushing-flotation-filtration circuits.

Nampundwe exploits iron pyrite rich ore bodies containing 11.0% in situ sulphur and has capacity to produce 60,000 tpa of pyrite concentrate that is blended with copper concentrate for smelting.

The concentrator was capable of treating 0.42 Mtpa following refurbishment in the early 2000s. Minus 300 mm ore from underground was fed via an apron feeder and grizzly to a single toggle jaw crusher to produce a minus 100 mm product. There was a facility to take ore direct to a 150 t bin prior to crushing as well as a crushed ore stockpile.

Minus 100 mm primary crusher product was conveyed for screening, with underflow going to the mill, while oversize was re-crushed and joined the primary crusher ........