JOHANNESBURG – Gold miner Metallon Corporation produced 24 385 oz of gold in the three months ended March 31.
Although output was 15% below the targeted output of 28 654 oz, it was 8% higher compared with that produced in the March 2014 quarter.
The company, which had producing and exploration assets in Zimbabwe, as well as exploration assets in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, added that its production guidance for the year ahead remained at about 150 000 oz, with all-in-sustaining costs of about $970/oz.
Metallon CE and deputy chairperson Mzi Khumalo commented that there had been some challenges in production during the first quarter, owing to equipment breakdowns, including hoists, crushers and mills.
“However, these issues have been addressed through the [phased] equipment replacement programme,” he added.
Meanwhile, the group noted that new locomotives and crushers have been ordered for its Arcturus mine, in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe, and a 4 1/4 crusher would be ordered for the Mazowe mine, Mashonaland Central province, about 50 km north of Harare.
Work had also started on the sands retreatment project at Mazowe. Metallon appointed South Africa-based engineering company Baldmin Engineering to build a 60 000 t/m plant.
Fabrication of the plant was under way at the factory in South Africa and was about 50% complete. Meanwhile, construction of civil engineering work at Mazowe started in March, while plant erection on site was scheduled to start in June, taking two months to complete.
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The plant would be commissioned in September. Metallon had also appointed Fraser Alexander to build new tailings dams at the Shamva mine and Mazowe. Construction of the tailing dams would be carried out in stages, with commissioning of the first stage six weeks after construction started. – Mining Weekly
