June 2014
MODERN MINING
31
COPPER
The Central African
Copperbelt. The arrow
shows the area where First
Quantum is exploring
for evidence of a possible
extension into Botswana.
Thakadu. With stable delivery of good quality
Thakadu ore, the Mowana processing opera-
tion is well positioned to increase throughput
and production levels in the coming quarter
and new fiscal year.”
African Copper’s activities were covered at
the conference by Johnny Tshutlhedi, the com-
pany’s Manager: Mine Geology & Exploration.
His presentation focused on the geology
of African Copper’s tenements but, more
generally, he noted that the company was con-
sidering going underground at both Mowana
and Thakadu-Makala – with underground stud-
ies on Mowana having already started. He said
sulphide ore was now being mined at Thakadu
with the mining of supergene and sulphide ore
at Mowana planned for later in the year and
added that the Mowana plant was heading for
full capacity. On resources, he said that over
1 million tonnes of ore had been delineated
in two mining licences and eight prospecting
licences with good potential existing to increase
ore resources down-dip and along strike from
existing assets. He concluded by saying that
exploration models were well-defined and that
work was on track to make new base metals and
possibly gold discoveries.
First Quantum’s “long shot”
Finally, no discussion of the Botswana copper
scene would be complete without referring to
the strong possibility that the Central African
Copperbelt of Zambia and the DRC extends
into north-western Botswana, a theory that has
emerged in just the past few years. If it does,
then it extends into tenements – covering
around 11 000 km
2
– which are held by Tsodilo
Resources, a Canadian junior explorer.
In an interview with
Modern Mining
last
year, the company’s CEO, James Bruchs, said:
“It has become increasingly apparent to us
over the past several years that the area hosts
a sequence of rocks that is identical in age and
composition to those on the Copperbelt.” His
colleague Mike de Wit, Tsodilo’s COO, added
that “the recognition that Katangan rocks, iden-
tical to those hosting the world-class deposits of
the Central African Copperbelt, occur through-
out the Tsodilo licence blocks makes this area
incredibly attractive as a major new copper
