The Kalahari Copper Belt, which is roughly 1,000 km long and up to 250 km wide, is a North East -trending Meso - to Neoproterozoic belt that extends from western Namibia into northern Botswana. It is equally set alongside the northwestern margin of the Paleoproterozoic Kalahari Craton and is bounded by the North-Western (west) and Central (south) provinces, as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo (north and east).
This important mining region is located on the eastern Central African Plateau, with gently undulating topography ranging from (900 to 1,500 meters) with occasional isolated hills. The Kafue River, a tributary of the Zambezi River, flows southward through the province, and marshes can be found along the river and its many tributaries. Not only does water mean the area is ideal for In-Situ mining, but large sections of the plateau are covered in an open mix of shrubs, trees, and tall grasses. Although the project has not received any significant historical exploration, exploration potential is evident due to:
- The geological setting along strike with Cupric Canyon and MOD Resources copper prospects in Botswana
- The geological setting along the strike with nearby copper mineralisation intersected in drill holes by Eiseb Exploration in Namibia
From BHP to Noronex, there is no shortage of foreign and Australian companies operating the Kalahari Copper Belt. It is more advantageous than other areas because it is heavily industrialised and urbanised with modern inhabitants in Bemba, Lamba, and Swahili. Subsistence agriculture allows locals to grow corn (maize), tobacco, peanuts (groundnuts), potatoes, and fodder crops. Commercial farming takes place near metropolitan areas and includes beef cattle and pigs.
The Copperbelt industrial area, located near the Congo border, is a watershed for the Congo and Zambezi rivers and has mineral reserves. Copper is mined in Ndola, Chambishi, Kalulushi, Chililabombwe, Mufulira, Chingola, Kitwe, and Luanshya, all of which are accessible by road, rail, and air. Other minerals extracted include cobalt and uranium. Several industries have resulted from mineral activity, with manufacturing industries in beverages, metals, batteries, chemicals, wire and cable, cement, and textiles.
Cobre Ltd. (ASX: CBE) is well-placed to leverage the opportunities and high mineralisation potential of the Kalahari Copper Belt. Furthermore, its recent win and inclusion in the BHP Xplore program for the second year in a row mean that it will leverage the right financial resources and technical know-how to explore the region where BHP owns over 100 mines.
Other mines in the KCB
One of the well-known mines is the Motheo Copper Mine, located in Botswana's Kalahari Copper Belt, approximately 70 kilometers from Ghanzi. The Project is owned by Tshukudu Metals Botswana, an in-country subsidiary of Sandfire Resources - bought through MOD Resources in October 2019. The project involves exploring copper and silver resources hosted by sediments T3 and A4, located 8 kilometres west of T3.
Sandfire announced the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) of an open pit mine development with a processing capacity of 3.2 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) for the T3 Deposit in December 2020 with a mine life of 12.5 years. Construction began in 2021, and Sandfire reported in May 2023 that it had generated the first copper concentrate at Motheo. Following the final investment decision (FID) for the $259 million T3 Motheo Copper Silver Project, DFS was completed on a base case 3.2Mtpa operation with the ability to increase to 5.2Mtpa.
Kalahari Copper Belt discoveries have historically been of better grade than the global average, which is likely to be significant in a period of high energy prices. The majority of mineralized zones identified so far have occurred within 200 metres of the surface, which is good for companies such as Cobre Limited (ASX: CBE) who have already begun a range of projects that show strong potential.