Mineral exploration company Lithium Africa is preparing for a large-scale 3 500 m drilling campaign at its flagship Springbok project, in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, this July.

The drilling campaign will target a new mineral resource at the Norrabees mine, incorporating new structural mapping that has reversed the interpretation of the Norrabees pegmatite dip direction.

The company has also identified a new spodumene-bearing surface extension of mineralisation where previous intercepts include 1.09% lithium oxide over 32.7 m.

Lithium Africa is awaiting project assay results from the stockpile resampling programme, Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) Section 11 approval, and camp upgrades are on track for completion by July to support the drill programme.

The company is also finalising the conclusion of the resampling and sale process for the project's existing spodumene stockpile and also continues to advance the potential sale of its existing 30 000 t stockpile at Norrabees. Multiple counterparties are engaged in active due diligence, spanning trading houses and strategic industry participants.

“Springbok has moved quickly over the past quarter. We have reset our structural understanding of the Norrabees system, mobilised the team and equipment for a meaningful drill programme designed to define a new mineral resource, and continue to evaluate the monetisation of the stockpile,” says Lithium Africa CEO Tyron Breytenbach.

The 1 675 km² Springbok project was selected for its strategic potential and consideration was given to a previously overlooked pegmatite district stretching more than 50 km and hosting 40 known spodumene-bearing pegmatites, of which only two have been historically drilled. It also offers a fully permitted small-scale starter resource that could support contract mining and near-term revenue generation.

Lithium Africa has selected mining contractor Van Zyl Drilling as the drilling contractor for its drill programme, and the company has also made key hires, viewed as integral to the success of the project from the perspective of the local community.

This includes a qualified mine manager to provide the full-time on-site presence required under the current mining regulations, and a dedicated community relations manager to oversee the company's efforts to work alongside the Springbok and Steinkopf communities.

Lithium Africa will also be actively onboarding and dispatching extra technical staff to the mine location between now and the end of June.