West Wits pours first gold at Qala Shallows, South Africa's first new underground mine in 15 years

West Wits Mining poured its first gold from the Qala Shallows project on 17 March 2026, processing the ore through Sibanye-Stillwater's Ezulwini plant on the West Rand. The milestone marked the company's transition from developer to producer and was described in the industry as South Africa's first new underground gold mine to enter production in 15 years.

A long-life, high-grade start

Qala Shallows, situated on the Kimberley Reef, is Phase I of West Wits's broader Witwatersrand Basin Project. An updated definitive feasibility study, completed by Bara Consulting in July 2025, outlined a 17-year life of mine and total forecast production of 944,000oz, with the operation designed to reach average steady-state output of about 70,000oz a year over 12 years once fully ramped up. Current JORC-compliant reserves stood at 4.6 million tonnes grading 2.60g/t gold for 383,934oz.

Part of a much bigger resource

The wider Witwatersrand Basin Project carries a JORC mineral resource estimate, updated as at 1 February 2026, of 56.44 million tonnes at 4g/t gold for 7.24 million ounces — giving West Wits substantial room to grow beyond Qala Shallows if it can secure the funding and permits for further phases. The choice to toll-treat ore through Sibanye-Stillwater's existing Ezulwini plant allowed West Wits to reach production without building its own processing infrastructure, reducing both capital cost and construction risk.

What comes next

Production ramp-up continued through the following months, with the company targeting steady-state output by 2028. A step change in operations followed in the June 2026 quarter when the 1 West decline breakthrough gave access to historically pre-developed stoping areas on 2 Level and higher-grade production zones, allowing West Wits to accelerate output faster than a conventional greenfields ramp-up would have permitted. The maiden pour also set the stage for the company to complete a full funding package for the project three months later.

Sources

• Mining Weekly: West Wits pours first Qala Shallows gold at Sibanye-Stillwater's Ezulwini plant, 17 Mar 2026
• Mining Technology: West Wits opens Qala Shallows underground gold mine in South Africa, 17 Mar 2026

Photo: A gold pour demonstration at the Gold Reef City mining heritage attraction in Johannesburg, illustrating the process by which West Wits poured its first Qala Shallows gold. Dan Brown from London, UK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.