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 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 IN APRIL 2026, to be settled in cash and shares. As a result of acquiring the additional 20% interest from the company's Namibian partner MKH Tangible Investments, Bezant now holds a 90% shareholding in Hope and Gorob. MKH will retain a 10% interest in Hope & Gorob. 

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. 

A new mineral resource estimate, published on April 8, 2026, resulted in an increase in the Hope open-pittable mineral resource – more than sevenfold, to more than three-million tonnes, from 410 000 t in the 2023 estimate. This increased the Hope openpit immediate life-of-mine from one year to 7.5 years at a production feed rate of 400 000 t/y into the ore sorter and reduced the strip ratio from 11:1 to 9:1. 

The 2026 resource classification comprises 1.1-million tonnes in the measured category, 500 000 t in the indicated category and 1.4-million tonnes in the inferred category. Bezant has said a further 3.6-million tonnes of mineralisation remains in inventory for possible upgrading to mineral resources. In addition, 1.3-million tonnes of low-grade material grading between 0.3% and 0.5% copper occurs within the pit shell, but outside the 2026 mineral resource, and could be upgraded through on-site ore sorting. 

The updated resource also allows for Phase 2 development to be brought forward by five years. Bezant has said this phase would involve a new flotation plant, subject to statutory approvals, and closer to Walvis Bay, producing 25 000 t/y of copper metal. 

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 existing NLZM plant, which Bezant proposes to acquire, convert and repurpose 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
On April 8, 2026, Bezant announced a new mineral resource estimate for the Hope deposit, part of the wider Hope and Gorob project. The updated resource will allow for Phase 2 development to be brought forward by five years. 

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Addison Mining Services (mineral resource estimation); Sound Mining (2026 Hope mineral resource estimate and mining); Addison Mining Services (2023 mineral resource estimate); 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.