Name of the Project
Uis tin project.

Location
The Uis project consists of three project areas in the Erongo region of Namibia.

Client
AfriTin Mining.

Project Description
Uis has a non-Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant resource of 73-million tonnes grading 0.136% tin, and an additional 2.7-million tonnes at 0.015% tantalum pentoxide. AfriTin has undertaken a detailed mine design for the V1 and V2 pegmatite bodies, previously identified as priority targets, to supply feed to the new intermediary processing plant.

The design of the proposed tin mine includes an initial five-year mine production schedule to start operations on the outcropping pegmatite bodies and existing excavations of the historical V1/V2 pits.

This in-house mine plan supports an overburden stripping ratio of less than one (overburden-to-ore ratio) and a fast ramp-up profile using conventional openpit mining methods.

Material will be liberated using drill-and-blast methods, while excavators and articulated dump trucks will be used to load and haul the ore.

The run-of-mine (RoM) feed to the processing plant for this phase of development is planned at 500 000 t/y, with expected production of 800 t/y of saleable tin concentrate. The target for the following phase is 5 000 t/y of tin concentrate.

The processing plant will be located close to the V1 and V2 pegmatite orebodies.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Production is scheduled for the second half of 2018.

Latest Developments
AfriTin Mining has started Phase 1 of the validation and drilling programme at its flagship Uis tin mine.

Confirmatory drilling began on October 26 and is expected to continue until the first quarter of 2019. The planned programme is expected to comprise 3 950 m, distributed over 27 holes.

The company has always been focussed on upgrading the historical resource that was identified at Uis to a modern Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource and is a key element of AfriTin’s current mine plan and the bankable feasibility study for Phase 2.

The historical database that was originally created for Uis was extensive and provided a high level of detail for the company, AfriTin CEO Anthony Viljoen has pointed out.

AfriTin will also investigate the potential for economic concentrations of lithium and tantalum in the Uis pegmatites, as these were not historically quantified, but may be significant once project economics are considered, the company has further noted.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
MRI (buying station).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
AfriTin Mining, tel +27 11 268 6555.