OPERATIONS •
All images supplied by West Wits Mining
West Wits Mining’ s Qala Shallows.
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR SA’ S GOLD MINING INDUSTRY
By Sharon Mdaka
2026 promises to be a significant year for the African gold market as prices surge amid ongoing geopolitical tensions – with countries such as Ghana, Mali and Sudan boosting production and export revenues. Enter West Wits Mining’ s Qala Shallows, a first for South Africa in 15 years.
The South African mining industry witnessed a new underground gold mine come into production last year. However, for the company, the development of this project represents far more than a milestone. It serves as a precedent for junior minors in navigating South Africa’ s regulations, funding opportunities, and how it operates and delivers.
According to West Wits Mining’ s CEO, Rudi Deysel, Qala Shallows is being developed with a clear emphasis on execution discipline, capital restraint and early revenue generation from an operations perspective. He said being able to get this project off the ground has been a huge achievement.
“ Gold prices have had a huge influence. The project was always viable, but at these levels it becomes a high-quality project,” he explained. Crucial, however, was navigating the funding process, which required extensive technical validation, governance frameworks and permitting compliance to not only meet industry standards but satisfy lenders’ due diligence requirements.
West Wits Mining CEO, Rudi Deysel.
“ For us to be in a position where we were able to secure funding for the whole project and start production, it ' s a huge achievement. And it ' s great for the communities around us. We are in an area that ' s in dire need of financial support and economic upliftment, which to us is important, along with South Africa’ s rich and proud mining history,” explains Deysel.
From planning to execution Deysel described the transition from definitive feasibility study( DFS) to execution as one of the most demanding phases of the project. While the fundamentals of the mine plan remained intact, external conditions, particularly the gold price environment, have strengthened the project’ s overall positioning.
A pivotal point came from meeting the requirements and securing funding for the project, which meant a shift from exploration to operation, a transition many junior miners fail to complete in the South African context.
A hybrid mining approach Operationally, the mine is being developed using a hybrid underground mining system. Mechanised equipment is used for development and infrastructure creation, while ore extraction is conducted using conventional stoping methods.
“ The geology dictates the approach,” says Deysel.“ We would prefer to mechanise everything, but the nature of the orebody makes that difficult.
www. africanmining. co. za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • April 2026 • 25