Kaoko Metals Limited has deployed a second diamond drill rig at its Chalkos Copper-Silver Project in Namibia as it accelerates exploration following promising copper and silver discoveries at the Otniel and Donkey Hill prospects.
The company said in its September 2026 quarterly activities report that the additional rig was mobilised to Donkey Hill in September, enabling simultaneous drilling across multiple targets as it expands its exploration programme from an initial 2,000–3,000 metres to more than 15,000 metres.
The expansion follows the identification of broad, shallow copper-silver mineralisation at Otniel and additional surface copper mineralisation at Donkey Hill East.
“Early success at Otniel plus identification of additional surface copper mineralisation at Donkey Hill East has underpinned major expansion of the drilling program to >15,000m. Second diamond drill rig mobilised to Donkey Hill in September, enabling simultaneous drilling across multiple Otniel and Donkey Hill targets,” the company said.
Kaoko has also initiated a tender process for a third drill rig to target Donkey Hill East as it seeks to accelerate exploration across the approximately 400-square-kilometre Chalkos licence area.
Assay results announced on 12 October showed that drill hole DDOT001 intersected 31 metres grading 1.43% copper and 17.8 grams per tonne of silver from a depth of 55 metres, including a higher-grade interval of 13.1 metres grading 2.30% copper and 29.6 grams per tonne of silver.
A second hole, DDOT002, intersected 48 metres grading 1.02% copper and 12.9 grams per tonne of silver from a depth of 46 metres, including 28.65 metres grading 1.40% copper and 17.3 grams per tonne of silver.
At Donkey Hill East, surface exploration has identified copper mineralisation extending more than 700 metres beyond the previously known mineralised trend, with rock-chip samples returning copper grades exceeding 50%.
Kaoko Managing Director Gerard O’Donovan said the exploration results had strengthened the company’s confidence in the project’s potential and justified the accelerated drilling programme.
“The discovery at Otniel, together with the significant surface mineralisation identified at Donkey Hill East, highlights the scale of the opportunity ahead of us. With two rigs now operating and a third being tendered, we are focused on accelerating exploration and systematically evaluating these highly prospective targets,” O’Donovan said.
The company reported that six drill holes had been completed at Otniel, with a seventh underway, while two holes had been completed at Donkey Hill and a third was in progress.
Further assay results are expected within four to six weeks of the company’s quarterly update.
Kaoko also plans to commence drone-based magnetic and induced polarisation surveys in November to refine exploration targets and identify additional areas for drilling across Chalkos.
Meanwhile, exploration at its Karibib Copper-Gold-Tungsten Project has returned surface sampling results of up to 4.9% copper, 0.85 grams per tonne of gold and 0.68% tungsten trioxide across several prospects.
Geochemical survey results from Karibib are expected in November, ahead of planned geophysical investigations and expanded drilling activities.
The accelerated exploration programme follows Kaoko’s completion of an A$20 million institutional-led capital placement in September, which strengthened its cash position to A$22 million at the end of the quarter.
The company said the funding would support its expanded exploration activities across its Namibian projects.
“I am extremely proud of what our team has achieved in such a short period. While we have made strong progress, we are only beginning to understand the potential of Chalkos, and we look forward to maintaining this momentum as we work towards unlocking what we believe could be a significant copper district,” O’Donovan said.
