Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc: Encouraging results from exploration at the Motapa Gold Project

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Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc
Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc

ST HELIER, Jersey, Nov. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc (“Caledonia” or “the Company”) (NYSE AMERICAN: CMCL; AIM: CMCL; VFEX: CMCL) is pleased to announce the first results from its recent exploration program at Motapa, an exploration project acquired in November 2022, located directly adjacent to the Company’s Bilboes Gold Project in southern Zimbabwe.

At Motapa, the combination of diamond drilling (“DD”) and reverse circulation drilling (“RC”), designed to test the continuation of sulphide zones of mineralisation below the historic oxide open pits, have returned highly encouraging results. In addition, shallower drilling in new target areas has returned encouraging results both in shallower oxide, and deeper sulphide zones.

The program to date has achieved the initial objectives and included 12,724m of trenching, 4,143m of DD and 5,433m of RC. The drill program featured generally wide-spaced holes at several prospects on the Motapa lease area and highlighted the presence of widespread gold mineralization over a combined strike length of more than 9km. Results included significant high grade gold mineralization in numerous areas (e.g. in particular the Jupiter, Pluvious and Mpudzi areas) which will now be the focus for follow up drilling with a view to defining an open pit mineral resource. Drilling highlights to date include:

  • Hole JPRC01 – 12.00m* at 6.36g/t from 81m downhole, RC

  • Hole JPRC05 - 13.00m at 5.17g/t from 88m downhole, RC

  • Hole PLVRC06 - 7.00m at 3.27g/t from 64m downhole, RC

  • Hole MPZRC02 - 4.00m at 10.95g/t from 12m downhole, RC

  • Hole JDD08 - 14.00m at 3.20g/t from 63m downhole, DD

  • Hole PLVDD01 - 8.00m at 4.00g/t from 74m downhole, DD

*all intersections above are down hole intersections; estimated true widths, all drill hole intersections are quoted in the tables later in this press release.

Further information on the results is provided below.

Chief Executive Officer, Mark Learmonth, said:

“The results from the sampling at Motapa have delivered encouraging results in terms of strike width, length and grade. The drill program featured generally wide-spaced holes at several prospects on the Motapa lease area and highlighted the presence of widespread gold mineralization over a combined strike length of more than 9 km.

“Motapa sits adjacent to Bilboes, which is where the Company plans to develop a major new high grade open pit gold mine. These initial results confirm that Motapa will continue to form a key role in the Company’s growth strategy.”

Enquiries:

Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc
Mark Learmonth
Camilla Horsfall


Tel: +44 1534 679 800
Tel: +44 7817 841 793

 

 

Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (Nomad and Joint Broker)
Adrian Hadden
Pearl Kellie


Tel: +44 207 397 1965
Tel: +44 131 220 9775

 

 

Panmure Liberum Limited (Joint Broker)
Scott Mathieson
Matt Hogg


Tel: +44 20 3100 2000

 

 

Camarco, Financial PR (UK)
Gordon Poole
Julia Tilley
Elfie Kent


Tel: +44 20 3757 4980

 

 

3PPB (Financial PR, North America)
Patrick Chidley
Paul Durham


Tel: +1 917 991 7701
Tel: +1 203 940 2538

 

 

Curate Public Relations (Zimbabwe)
Debra Tatenda


Tel: +263 77802131

 

 

IH Securities (Private) Limited (VFEX Sponsor - Zimbabwe)
Lloyd Mlotshwa


Tel: +263 (242) 745 119/33/39

Overview of Motapa Exploration Program

  • The Motapa exploration program commenced in 2023 with geological mapping, geophysical surveys, trenching, and a later program in 2024 of surface exploration drilling.

  • The initial work informed targets for wide spaced drilling to test mineralization below the historically mined oxide open pits and in new target areas which have not yet been mined.

  • To date, 12,724m of trenching, 4,143m of DD and 5,433m of RC have been completed, marking the end of the 2024 exploration drilling activities.

  • To date, complete data (assay results) have been received for 93% of DD samples and 61% of RC samples submitted for analysis at external laboratories.  A total of 13,374 trench samples have been analyzed by means of bottle roll analysis at the Company’s internal laboratory at Bilboes.

  • Caledonia believes that the property presents substantial upside from both greenfield and brownfield exploration opportunities.

  • Further updates will be provided on the completion and assessment of the outstanding assay results.