AFRICA SPECIAL — Rift-Reunion JV focuses on Zimbabwe

Rift Resources (RIF-V) has joined forces with Reunion Mining of London to explore the Silobela gold project in central Zimbabwe.

The Toronto-based junior can earn a half interest in the project by spending US$1.5 million on exploration over three years and issuing 13,000 shares to Reunion for US$15,000.

The 1,573 sq.-km property consists of two portions situated on either side of the producing Jena gold mine of Trillion Resources (TLQ-T) and the Maligreen gold discovery of Reunion. The former hosts 1.6 million tonnes grading 5.83 grams gold per tonne, whereas reserves at the latter are estimated at 1.3 million tonnes of 5.5 grams.

Prior to Reunion’s involvement, which began in 1991, the Silobela property had received little exploration, one reason being that roughly half the ground is covered by unconsolidated sands. Traditionally, exploration companies have shown preference for areas where more bedrock is exposed.

“Interest in the area really only perked up in the 1990s,” says Rift President Terence McKillen. “Reunion was one of the first companies to step away from the best-exposed areas and apply conceptual geology and exploration techniques to the sand cover. It was rewarded with the discovery of the Maligreen deposit.

“This Silobela block has the earmarks of the same type of responses that led to the Maligreen discovery,” adds McKillen. “To my knowledge, it has never been looked at seriously.”

With its joint-venture partner acting as project manager, Rift will undertake a program of mapping, geochemical sampling, trenching and geophysical surveying — all in an effort to test several gold-in-soil anomalies previously outlined by Reunion.

One of these is a highly altered and sheared diorite with gold-bearing quartz stringers, with a previous drill hole intersecting 14.56 metres of 3.58 grams gold.

Including Silobela, Rift has interests in nine properties in Africa. Although the majority of these are held in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the company recently acquired a prospecting licence in southwestern Uganda, which encompasses portions of the Kigezi and Buhweju gold camps and the Kasese-Ft. Portal copper belt.