Kaoko Metals has significantly ramped up its exploration programme at the Chalkos Copper-Silver Project in Namibia, after early drilling at the Otniel prospect intersected broad zones of visually identifiable copper mineralisation. The company has now committed to a minimum 15,000-metre drilling campaign at Otniel, while a second diamond rig has begun operating at the nearby Donkey Hill prospect, where fresh fieldwork has uncovered additional surface copper mineralisation.
The expanded programme means Kaoko is now advancing both of its priority targets at Chalkos simultaneously. At Otniel, five diamond holes have been completed, with a sixth, DDOT006, currently underway. Every hole drilled so far has reached its planned depth, and samples are being progressively dispatched for laboratory analysis, with the company pushing for expedited turnaround times across the programme.
Notably, the decision to scale up the Otniel campaign was made ahead of receiving laboratory assay results from the first two holes, DDOT001 and DDOT002 — results the company expects within two to three weeks. Management says the call was underpinned by the visual copper mineralisation logged in those initial holes, combined with the need to systematically map the geometry, continuity and overall extent of the mineralised system before results come back.
At Donkey Hill, new fieldwork has extended the known surface expression of copper mineralisation by more than 700 metres, pushing the total mapped footprint beyond 1.5 kilometres — a substantial jump from the 800-metre footprint reported back in July.
One standout figure from the update: a single selected rock-chip sample, Z2516, returned a copper grade in excess of 50%, exceeding the upper reporting limit of the assay method used. Kaoko was careful to caveat the result, noting that selected rock-chip samples are not representative of average grades across the broader mapped area, and should not be taken as an indicator of subsurface grade or continuity.
At the newly expanded Donkey Hill East zone, mineralisation has now been mapped along two separate trends, running approximately 600 metres and 400 metres respectively. Field geologists also documented:
- Stockwork-style copper veining hosted within laterally extensive quartz arkose units
- Relict sulphide mineralisation, now expressed at surface as oxidised pitting and malachite staining
- Dioptase mineralisation infilling cavities and joint planes
According to the company, the combination of stockwork veining, relict sulphide textures and cavity-hosted dioptase points to structural and hydrothermal controls operating across a wide area — a pattern often associated with larger mineralised systems.
Managing Director Gerard O’Donovan framed the expansion as a natural extension of early success:
“The expansion of our drilling program at Otniel to at least 15,000 metres reflects the outstanding progress from our initial drilling campaign and the opportunity to systematically test the mineralisation identified to date. At Otniel, five holes have now been completed to evaluate the geometry and continuity of the mineralised system, with each hole utilised to refine subsequent drill targeting. We are also working closely with the laboratory to expedite assay results for all holes completed to date so that we can communicate technical results to the market as soon as possible.”
On the Donkey Hill East discovery, he added:
“The discovery of significant additional surface copper mineralisation at Donkey Hill East is a particularly encouraging development as it expands the potential scale of the mineralised system. This development reinforces Donkey Hill as an important exploration target within the broader Chalkos Project.”
The expanded Otniel programme is designed to test both down-dip continuity and lateral extensions of the mineralisation already identified, with the aim of progressively building a three-dimensional picture of the system — its orientation, thickness, structural controls and how far it extends beyond the initial holes.
Kaoko’s managing director and chief geologist are expected on site from next week to oversee the next phase of drilling. The company now has two active drilling fronts running concurrently at Chalkos: the expanded 15,000m-plus programme at Otniel, and the newly commenced campaign at Donkey Hill.
For investors, the next major catalyst will be the laboratory assay results from DDOT001 and DDOT002, due within two to three weeks. Meanwhile, drilling at Donkey Hill will begin answering the key question of whether the copper mineralisation mapped at surface continues at depth.
