following is an automated voice-to-text transcript; unfortunately i started recording late; it starts with Gino mid-sentence answering a question in regards to what's happening with our non-lithium projects, the demerger:
"...Create a separate listed vehicle with a board, with a management team, with a funding strategy that is focused on exploring those particular projects, and that will allow us to focus solely on the lithium and develop those assets."
[a question from the same SH in regards to Namibia]
"With the lithium drilling, how many holes are drilling there?"
"So we've signed a contract for 10,000 meters. It's going to be done in three phases. The first phase is 3500 and will start in late January, early February. That'll be 4000 meters and then we'll have another, more than 10,000 meters. We'll have another 3500 meters drilled starting late March, early April."
[incoherent question from a SH about AfriTin and Namibia]
"Absolutely... Well there's four key areas. The main key area is the one that's directly along strike of AfriTin. And then there's a couple of other targets that are more onto the western-side of the tenement where there are a lot of historic workings there as well. But we're going to sequence-out the holes, of course, to make sure that the first phase is appropriately spaced so we can test for the strike extensions, as well as looking at, they're not super deep holes, call it 100 meters on average, the holes. So the second phase of drilling out there will look to close the spacing down and also test the depth extensions as well. The idea being that if we can be aggressive in drilling, then we could have a resource out there within the next, certainly within a twelve month time-frame. The other assets that we're looking at acquiring in the same area, will complement obviously this initial footprint because it's (7345) it's 113 km2. It's interesting and it's significant. But these other licenses will add gravitas and sort of complement the strategy of why we're out there. So whilst we're aggressively drilling '7345' we'll also move to pretty quickly drill the other tenements as well. And one of the things that the company has been doing, we've been really mindful of making sure this is the case, is that particularly with lithium, and looking at the zonation of those pegatites, is our attention has been focused on the areas that have had historic mining taken place previously, or they're along strike of that main pegmatite belt. So, a lot of the due diligence, a lot of that site evaluation work that we're doing on other pieces of tenement that we're looking to acquire, that work is already done, or it's in progress of being done. So it's an educated shift as well."
"And AfriTin next-door there, are they producing a concentrate?"
"So their business is predominantly tin. So they're now shifting across into lithium and tantalum, as well. But the idea, of course is that the pegmatites they're drilling now, they're drilling closer to 7345. And the way that the pegmatite is along strike, is that they're drilling the lithium rich section of the pegmatites now. They're looking to shift the business, of course, to focus more on the lithium side of things. And following that, they are looking at putting in place a lithium pilot-plant as well. It's not too difficult for them to do. So they will be able to do it through DMS. So the strategy will be safe, and tried and tested, but in terms of they're just starting to make that move across now. So it's good for us because, of course, all the infrastructure is going to be there. They're drilling and they're learning about the same geology that we're going to be drilling upon, and understanding that same geology as well. So it's kind of a rising tide lifts all boats kind of situation. And realistically, between AfriTin and Askari, we'll be the two dominant players in that particular area.
So I often get asked, how come we went into Namibia?
Perhaps it's because people don't understand the low sovereign risk of Namibia as a jurisdiction, but it is ranked very highly in the Fraser Institute. I've done work in Namibia. I've done work in Botswana before. They're two jurisdictions in Southern Africa in which I very happily work. But you also have assets such as what we picked up in Namibia, you can't get access to those in Australia. Certainly not within 200 km of a port with complete civil tar road all the way through as well. So I look at these assets as being an absolute game changers for us. That's also the reason why we want to spearhead the demerger as well. Because obviously not having those assets in the portfolio, not having the internal competition for capital, we can move so much faster and be more aggressive as we explore, as well. So these next six months are going to be particularly exciting for the company.
Okay. I don't have any other questions on the online. So unless somebody else wants to ask anything, but if there's not, I might just close, close the online forum. Are you happy? Yeah, no problems. So I'm going to close the online forum."
(20min delay)