West Wits ramp-up picks up pace as gold output falls - MiningMX

AI desk brief

West Wits said development at Qala Shallows accelerated in the September quarter, with underground advance rising to a record 200m in September, but gold recovered still fell to 112 oz from 227 oz in the June quarter as the project remains in ramp-up mode. The company plans to begin mining prepared areas from February 2027, targeting 10,000-15,000 oz in 2027, 42,500 oz in 2028 and 70,000 oz in 2029, with commercial production slated for Q4 2027 and a 70,000 oz/year run-rate by Q1 2029.

Above-ground infrastructure was 61% complete at end-September versus 45% at end-June. West Wits also drew a second R236m loan tranche after quarter-end, taking total drawdowns to R575m of its R875m facility and leaving R300m available; shares were up 2.5% at A$0.323.