Navachab Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
The Navachab Gold Mine is an open-pit
gold mine situated near Karibib, in the Erongo Region
of Namibia
. The operation is owned by AngloGold Ashanti
.
Navachab, the only gold mine in Namibia, takes its name from the local Navachab farm, which the gold deposit was found beneath. The deposit is located 6 km south of the Okahandja
-Swakopmund
road.
The Navachab gold deposit was discovered in October 1984 as a result of an exploration programme conducted. An appraisal was carried out in 1986, followed by feasibility study in 1987, which decided to proceed with the development of the mine. Construction work at the site began in 1988 and was completed within 21 months. Production started at Navachab in 1989, pouring its first gold bar in December 1989. Originally jointly-owned by the Erongo Exploration and Mining Company (70%), the Metal Mining Company of Canada (20%) and Rand Mines Exploration, AngloGold
acquired a 70% interest in the mine in 1998, which it increased to a 100% the following year. In 2004, AngloGold and Ashanti
merged to form AngloGold Ashanti.
The mine is the only gold mine in Namibia. In 2003, the AngloGold made the decision to switch to owner-mining instead of using contractors. The decision was made after the life of the mine could be extended considerably. It was later claimed by some former contract employees that they had been promised permanent jobs with AngloGold after the switch but not received them. In 2009, the mine employed 578 people, all of which were permanent employees.
For the first time since the start of operations at Navachab, the mine experienced a fatal accident on 2 June 2009 when a drill-rig operator was fatally injured.
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
gold mine situated near Karibib, in the Erongo Region
Erongo Region
Erongo is one of the 13 regions of Namibia. It comprises the Swakopmund magisterial district up to the Ugab River and includes Walvis Bay, Omaruru and Karibib magisterial districts. This region is named after Erongo mountain, a well known landmark in Namibia and in this area...
of Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. The operation is owned by AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.AngloGold Ashanti Limited is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents...
.
Navachab, the only gold mine in Namibia, takes its name from the local Navachab farm, which the gold deposit was found beneath. The deposit is located 6 km south of the Okahandja
Okahandja
Okahandja is a town of 14,000 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the Garden Town of Namibia. It is located 70km north of Windhoek on the B1 road...
-Swakopmund
Swakopmund
Swakopmund is a city on the coast of northwestern Namibia, west of Windhoek, Namibia's capital. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. As a seaside resort, the weather is cooler here in December to January so the territorial administration moves to Swakopmund for these months...
road.
History
The first gold discoveries in Namibia were made in 1899. Gold mining begun in the country in 1933 but was later abandoned again because of low grades.The Navachab gold deposit was discovered in October 1984 as a result of an exploration programme conducted. An appraisal was carried out in 1986, followed by feasibility study in 1987, which decided to proceed with the development of the mine. Construction work at the site began in 1988 and was completed within 21 months. Production started at Navachab in 1989, pouring its first gold bar in December 1989. Originally jointly-owned by the Erongo Exploration and Mining Company (70%), the Metal Mining Company of Canada (20%) and Rand Mines Exploration, AngloGold
AngloGold
AngloGold was a gold mining company based in South Africa and majority-owned by the Anglo American group. In 2004 it merged with the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation to create the world's second-largest gold producer, AngloGold Ashanti. It's a big company....
acquired a 70% interest in the mine in 1998, which it increased to a 100% the following year. In 2004, AngloGold and Ashanti
Ashanti Goldfields Corporation
This is the article on the mining company. For the football club of the same name see Ashanti Gold SC.The Ashanti Goldfields Corporation is a gold mining company based in Ghana that was founded by Edwin Cade. The Ashanti Mine, located at Obuasi, 56 km south of Kumasi, has been producing since 1897...
merged to form AngloGold Ashanti.
The mine is the only gold mine in Namibia. In 2003, the AngloGold made the decision to switch to owner-mining instead of using contractors. The decision was made after the life of the mine could be extended considerably. It was later claimed by some former contract employees that they had been promised permanent jobs with AngloGold after the switch but not received them. In 2009, the mine employed 578 people, all of which were permanent employees.
For the first time since the start of operations at Navachab, the mine experienced a fatal accident on 2 June 2009 when a drill-rig operator was fatally injured.
Production
Production figures of the recent past were:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2003 | 73,000 ounces | 1.75 g/t | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 274 |
| 2004 | 67,000 ounces | 1.59 g/t | US$ 348 |
| 2005 | 81,000 ounces | 2.05 g/t | US$ 381 |
| 2006 | 86,000 ounces | 1.81 g/t | US$ 265 |
| 2007 | 80,000 ounces | 1.56 g/t | US$ 419 |
| 2008 | 68,000 ounces | 1.43 g/t | US$ 534 |
| 2009 | 65,000 ounces | 1.58 g/t | US$ 622 |
| 2010 |
External links
- AngloGold Ashanti website
- Navachap mine (NAM-00072) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website
- Gold Geological Survey of Namibia website
- Controls of gold-quartz vein formation during regional folding in amphibolite-facies, marble-dominated metasediments of the Navachab Gold Mine in the Pan-African Damara Belt, Namibia