West Wits secures key ground for South African gold mine expansion
West Wits Mining has secured a key new tenement at its new Qala Shallows underground gold mine in South Africa’s world-class Witwatersrand Basin.
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By Michael Busbridge
December 29, 2025 — 5.40pm
West Wits Mining has locked in a key new strategic tenement which should lay the groundwork for the long-term expansion of operations at its new Qala Shallows Kimberley Reefs underground gold mine near Johannesburg in South Africa’s famed Witwatersrand Basin.
At Qala Shallows the company has commenced mining the upper reaches of the Kimberley Reefs ore body which hosts a mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 5.025-million-ounces grading a healthy 4.66 grams per tonne gold.
West Wits Mining image illustrating underground drilling of the Kimberley Reef ore body, in the Qala Shallows mine.
The granted Prospecting Right provides for expanded mining operations along the eastern depth extension to the Qala Shallows ore body at the Witwatersrand Basin Project which is expected to form part of the Stage four Qala deeps project.
Future phases, including the company’s planned Bird Reef Central expansion and will include other independent reefs within the project’s area of tenure, will feed the company’s long-term “Project 200″ ambition of attaining 200,000 ounces of annual gold production through a staged process.
The company has commissioned consultants to review and remodel the existing Kimberley Reefs MRE at a lower cut-off grade. The current 2.0 grams per tonne value was established in 2017 when the gold price was trading back near US$1200 per ounce, compared to the current price environment of around US$4500 per ounce.
Key projected metrics for the mine include an initial 17-year mine life, based on steady-state production of 70,000 ounces of gold per year over a 12-year production sweet spot.
The mine opened in mid-October after West Wits hauled its first underground ore to surface, kicking off stockpiling ahead of toll treatment at Sibanye-Stillwater’s nearby Ezulwini plant. The commencement of mining marks a transformative step taken by West Wits transiting it from developer to producer at the same time laying the foundation for what could be multi-decade growth.
Management expects to have 30,000 tonnes ready to roll by the time the processing circuit fires up next March, setting the scene for Qala Shallows to move from a development story into what is shaping to be a cash-flow generating machine.