Mining Intelligence and News
Namibia

Navachab Mine

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Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Navachab gold mine is Namibia’s oldest open-pit mine, known for producing gold bullion that is refined and sold at the Rand Refinery in South Africa.

In 2024, the mine achieved its highest-ever annual output and began evaluating a Mining and Rehandle Fleet Management System (FMS), which is set for implementation in 2025 to improve operational efficiency.

To ensure long-term growth and extend its Life-of-Mine, several key strategic capital projects were launched. These projects include underground and surface exploration, evaluation of satellite deposits, and the Gravity Concentration Project aimed at enhancing gold recovery. Additionally, upgrades to the mine’s energy infrastructure also commenced.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
JG Investment Investments (Pty) Ltd. 7.5 % Indirect
QKR Corporation Ltd. 92.5 % Indirect
QKR Namibia Navachab Gold Mine (Pty) Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
The Navachab mine is operated by QKR Namibia Navachab Gold Mine (Pty) Limited.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Skarn
  • Carbonatite hosted
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

The Navachab gold deposit is located in the Pan-African Damara Orogen and hosted by greenschist-amphibolite facies calc-silicates, marbles and volcaniclastic rocks. The rocks have been intruded by granite, pegmatite and aplitic dykes and have also been deformed into a series of alternating dome and basin-like structures.

Navachab Gold Mine is a classical carbonate-hosted replacement skarn deposit with strata bound style of mineralised rock. Gold mineralisation at Navachab Gold Mine occurs in:

- A steeply inclined to sub-vertical, shallow north north-east (NNE)-plunging, lens-shaped ore body confined to the Massif Central (MC) unit (interlayered calc-silicates and marbles) in the basal parts of marbles of the Okawayo Formation; and

- Sets of shallow north-west (NW) to north-east (NE) dipping mineralised sheeted quartzsulphide-gold veins that are developed both in the hanging wall (marbles of the Okawayo Formation (MDM) and biotite schist of the Oberwasser Formation (US), as well as in the footwall (biotite schist of the Spes Bona Formation (LS) of the MC unit.

The veins have recently comprised much of the ore mined at Navachab Gold Mine. According to Katharina Wulff, Nick M. Steven, Kim A.A. Hein, Judith A. Kinnaird, 2017, within “the veins, quartz, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite are the most common minerals. Microscopically, minor amounts of clinopyroxene (often replaced by secondary actinolite and calcite) as well as sphalerite, arsenopyrite, native bismuth, native gold, bismuthinite and an unidentified Bi-Te-SeS-mineral were observed (Nörtemann et al., 2000; Wulff, 2009; Dziggel et al., 2009a, 2009b).

The gold commonly occurs as small grains (few µm to 0.1 mm) of free gold surrounded by quartz, or in contact with native bismuth and other bismuth minerals.”

The mineralisation at Navachab forms a sheet-like body which plunges at an angle of approximately 20° to the northwest. The mineralisation is predominantly hosted in a sheeted quartz vein set (approximately 60% of tonnage) and a replacement skarn (approximately 40% of tonnage). The mineralisation in the main pit is hosted by a northeast to southwest striking metamorphosed sequence of calc-silicates, marbles and volcaniclastic rocks that dip at 70° to the west. The gold is very fine-grained and associated with pyrrhotite and minor amounts of pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, maldonite and bismuthinite. An estimated 90% of the gold occurs as free gold and the remainder is present in minerals such as maldonite (Au2Bi). Silver is also present with a gold to silver ratio of approximately 15 to 1.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Gold kg  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,4811,4271,8431,8901,878
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.

Operational metrics

Metrics2024202320222021
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Mine Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
After-tax Income M NAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -53.4   -185   -111.5  

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 25, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 25, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 25, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 25, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 25, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2024
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

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