Name of the Project
Hope and Gorob copper/gold project.

Location
The project is in Namibia, about 250 km south-west of Windhoek and about 120 km south-east of Walvis Bay. It comprises the Hope, Gorob and Vendome orebodies.

Project Owner/s
Copper and gold exploration company Bezant Resources (90%) and MKH Tangibale Investments (10%).

Project Description
The project is centred on the Hope, Gorob and Vendome deposits within the Matchless Amphibolite Belt. 

Mining is planned as an openpit operation, with Hope identified as the first production area because of its denser drilling coverage and more advanced pit design work. 

Hope has a projected five-year life-of-mine, while Gorob and Vendome are intended to operate concurrently during the later years of the schedule to maintain run-of-mine (RoM) ore production. 

The project’s financial model is based on a maximum mining rate of 480 000 t/y of RoM ore. 

At Hope, about 34.2-million tonnes of material are scheduled for extraction over the openpit mine life, including about 2.2-million tonnes of RoM ore and about 32-million tonnes of waste at an average strip ratio of 14.6 t/t. 

Gorob has a projected four-year mine life, with total material movement of about 2.3-million tonnes, including 425 000 t of RoM ore, at an average strip ratio of 4.4 t/t. RoM ore will be preconcentrated on site using dry ore-sorting technology before being trucked about 190 km to the NLZM processing plant for final concentration. The project is based on an estimated plant feed rate of 180 000 t/y, with annual tailings deposition of about 160 000 t/y. 

The existing NLZM plant, which Bezant proposes to acquire and convert from lead/zinc processing to copper oxide and sulphide flotation, includes dry comminution, milling, flotation, dewatering, reagent dosing and water management circuits.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated. 

Capital Expenditure
The proposed NLZM beneficiation plant will require an estimated R2.4-million for detailed engineering, with execution costed at R54.5-million under an engineering, procurement and construction model or R51.3-million under an engineering, procurement and construction management model. 

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated. 

Latest Developments
Bezant Resources has acquired an additional 20% shareholding in Hope and Gorob Mining – its 70%-owned Namibian registered holder of the Hope and Gorob mining project – for £1.11-million to be settled in cash and shares.

As a result of buying the additional 20% interest from the company's Namibian partner MKH Tangible Investments, Bezant how holds a 90% shareholding in Hope & Gorob. MKH will retain a 10% interest in Hope & Gorob.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Addison Mining Services (mineral resource estimation); Sound Mining International (mining); Ferro Drill Namibia and Shali Group Holdings (drilling); Environam Consultants Trading and Burmeister & Partners (environmental work); SGS South Africa, TEA and ALS entities (laboratory services); independent consultant B. Loocke (mineralogy and geology); Suntech Geomet Laboratories, Multotec, ENC Minerals and Steinert (metallurgy and mineral processing); Weir Minerals Africa and MetalX (engineering); and Unitrans (preferred mining contractor used for mining cost inputs in the financial model).

Contact Details for Project Information
Bezant Resources, email info@bezantresources.com.