West Wits Mining identifies eight target
areas for further exploration at Paterson
Province project in WA

Four of the eight target areas have been classified as ‘high priority’ and will be the focus of ground exploration planned for 2021.

Mine planning drilling activities are on track and progressing well at Witwatersrand Basin Project in South Africa

West Wits Mining Limited (ASX:WWI) has identified eight target areas for further exploration following a SKYTEM Heliborne Electro-magnetic (HEM) survey over the Mt Cecelia project area in WA's prolific Paterson Province.

Four of the eight target areas have been classified as ‘high priority’ and will be the focus of ground exploration planned for 2021.

Further, the mine planning drilling activities, which support the bankable feasibility study (BFS), are on track and progressing well at the Witwatersrand Basin Project in South Africa.

Eventful year with positive results

West Wits managing director Jac van Heerden said: “As we near the end of 2020, I am enthused by the West Wits team’s efforts to close out an eventful year and report such positive results from Mt Cecilia with the identification of eight shallow priority target areas.

“Significantly, four of the eight target areas have been classified as ‘high priority’ and will be the focus of ground exploration planned for 2021.

“Additionally, we are pleased to provide a positive progress report on the Witwatersrand Basin Project in South Africa, which covers ongoing work on the ground as part of the BFS, a recent underground site inspection and our expectation of receiving a ruling on the appeals pertaining to the mining right next month.”

Shares have been as much as 16% higher intra-day to A$0.06.

Ground-based EM follow-up

West Wits consultant geophysicist Russell Mortimer added: “The SKYTEM 312HP B-field data is far superior compared to the historic, lower-powered TEMPEST surveying.

“I am excited by several of the anomalies which clearly look like type-1 bedrock conductors, associated with magnetic features/contacts/potential alteration. Ground-based EM follow-up is now required to better define these priority targets for optimised drill testing.

“Target SGC_1, in the northwest sector of the survey area is clearly of highest priority being discrete in nature, relatively shallow and adjacent to a northwest-southeast trending magnetic feature with associated possible alteration/demagnetisation.”

Going forward

The 2020 exploration field season in the Paterson Province and East Pilbara region has concluded due to the start of the cyclone season and high heat associated with the summer period.

West Wits and Southern Geoscience Consultants (SGC) will perform a further review of the proposed high priority target zones in relation to any other available geologic or geochemical information to further filter and rank the eight targets presented.

The next field season commences from April 2021 and will allow access to site for the appropriate ground geological work on the target conductors.

WWI proposes that the high priority target conductors should be followed up by with a moving loop TEM (MLTEM) survey to better define the conductor’s depth, geometry, areal size and conductance.

This will assist in optimal drill hole targeting and more timely discovery of mineralisation if associated with the highlighted bedrock conductors.

Kimberley East infill drilling

In South Africa, the drill teams have advanced 880 metres of percussion drilling and 650 metres of diamond-core drilling with holes 1-3 completed and holes 4-5 commenced.

The exploration team reports that core recovery is high and intersections into the K10, K9A and K9B reef bands were clearly identified.

A key result of these findings is that West Wits, with the required permissions and risk assessments in place, will be able to send a geological and sampling crew, together with a rock engineering crew, into the old workings for observations and more detail mapping and recording, to further support assumptions in the BFS.

By the time mining commences, its team will have early mining areas identified and basic underground infrastructure installed, which will add value to the project and assist with the all-important early mining ramp-up initiative.

Mining right appeals

Following correspondence from the Department of Environmental, Fisheries and Forestry (DEFF), the company expects a ruling on the appeals on its Witwatersrand Basin project by end of January 2021

WWI, its local BEE Partners and its legal team remain confident of a positive outcome.

Once the appeals are set aside, it is expected that the mining right will be granted shortly thereafter.