Dana Roets will step down as COO of gold miner Caledonia Mining Corporation, with effect from February 29.
He joined Caledonia as COO in 2013 and has been instrumental in the development of the business over the following decade.
During his tenure, production from Caledonia's Blanket mine, in Zimbabwe, increased from 45 000 oz to over 80 000 oz in 2022. In the most recent quarter ended September 30, the mine achieved record quarterly production of almost 21 800 oz.
Caledonia says the key element of its success over the last ten years has been the successful implementation of the Central Shaft project, which involved the sinking of a 6-m-diameter shaft from surface to 1 204 m.
This project was accomplished under Roets' direction, using internal financial and technical resources, and was completed and commissioned without any fatality.
"Dana has made an outstanding contribution to Caledonia over the last ten years – as evidenced by the increased production, reduced costs and exploration success which we believe will, in due course, extend Blanket's life-of-mine. This was achieved against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment and the Covid-19 pandemic which introduced a new set of unanticipated operational challenges," comments CEO Mark Learmonth.
He also pointed to the implementation of a solar energy plant at Blanket and the construction of the first phase of a new tailings storage facility at the mine as further successes achieved under Roets' leadership.
"Along with the board and his colleagues, I would like to thank Dana for his contribution, and we wish him well in his future endeavours," Learmonth says.
Caledonia has started a process to appoint Roets' successor.