KEY POINTS
- Ongwe has started drilling at the new Nguni gold prospect in Namibia.
- Two rigs will drill 31 holes covering about 5,000 m at Nguni.
- A further five-hole, 1,000 m programme will test Manga’s eastern extension.
TSX Venture Exchange-listed Ongwe Minerals has started a major drilling campaign at the newly discovered Nguni gold prospect in Namibia, as the company steps up exploration efforts aimed at establishing a potentially large-scale gold deposit.
Ongwe has mobilised two drill rigs to the Nguni prospect, located at its Omatjete gold project, about 17 km east of the Manga gold discovery and 55 km east of Kokoseb.
The first rig, a diamond drill rig, will target the highest-grade sections identified within the gold-in-soil anomaly. The initial programme comprises 18 holes covering about 3,500 m.
A second reverse circulation drill rig will test the strike extension of the soil anomaly. The programme is planned to include 13 holes covering approximately 1,500 m.
The combined drilling campaign is expected to provide the company with a clearer understanding of the depth, continuity and potential scale of the mineralisation identified at Nguni.
Ongwe discovered Nguni in May during a regional soil-sampling programme targeting the Okondeka Fault Zone, a regionally significant geological structure considered prospective for mineralisation.
The company describes Nguni as a large, high-grade gold-in-soil anomaly. Following its discovery, Ongwe accelerated exploration through detailed surface work and drilling to determine whether the anomaly is associated with a substantial gold-bearing system.
The prospect’s location within the wider Omatjete project also gives the company an opportunity to assess Nguni alongside other identified gold targets in the area.
Ongwe has also finalised a step-out diamond drilling programme at the Manga gold prospect, which lies about 17 km west of Nguni.
The Manga programme will consist of five holes covering approximately 1,000 m and is designed to test the prospect’s eastern extension.
Manga is characterised by both gold-in-soil and gold-in-bedrock anomalies, and the additional drilling is intended to determine whether the known mineralisation extends further east towards the newly identified Nguni target.
The simultaneous exploration programmes could help Ongwe build a broader understanding of the mineralised system across the project area.
Ongwe is advancing Nguni rapidly through systematic surface exploration and drilling, with the stated objective of determining whether the prospect can develop into a large-scale economic gold discovery.
The results from the drilling campaign will be important in establishing the geological characteristics and continuity of the mineralisation and determining the next phase of exploration.
The latest programme underscores the company’s focus on expanding its exploration portfolio in Namibia, where the Omatjete project contains multiple gold targets with varying levels of exploration maturity.
