The elevated gold price has allowed mid-tier gold producer Pan African Resources (PAR) to bring forward capital expenditure at its Evander 8 shaft that was planned to be undertaken only in the 2027 financial year, says investor relations head Hethen Hira.

The Evander 8 project is an expansion of underground mining operations at the Evander gold mine to access deeper, high-grade gold ore. This includes mining the shaft pillar and extending infrastructure to new levels – 24, 25 and 26 – extending the mine’s life and increasing production by leveraging existing infrastructure.

Evander 8 shaft’s expansion will add an average of about 65 000 oz/y to PAR’s gold production profile, over a mine life of about 13 years.



“The commissioning of hoisting within the equipped 17 Level to 24 Level ventilation shaft during January 2025 was a major milestone for Evander 8 shaft to ensure sustainability of future production,” explains PAR technical services and new business executive Hendrik Pretorius.

He adds the holing of the high-grade B-Raise line has significantly improved the production from Evander 8 shaft while the trackless mining equipment workshop on 24 Level is progressing according to plan.

Once the workshop has been completed, the on-reef decline will be able to advance down dip to 25 Level.

Importantly, all infrastructure-related projects have either been commissioned or are progressing according to plan with no further delays in production ramp-up expected, notes Pretorius.

In addition, the Evander team is currently finalising the commissioning of Phase 2 of an expanded refrigeration plant which will enable mining down to below 25 Level.



Evander Ramp-Up, Compliance

PAR is ramping up its Evander mine, with mined and processing tonnes planned to increase from about 15 000 t a month to a maximum of 23 000 t a month in the 2025 reporting period.

Over the next three years, production will increase from between 45 000 oz/y and 50 000 oz/y, to about 65 000 oz/y for the remaining nine years, says Pretorius.

The increased production will contribute to the group’s growth in yearly production capacity to over 300 000 oz, which will place PAR in the upper mid-tier ranks of gold producers globally and open up exposure to an expanded investor base, also enabled by the group’s recent move to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange at the end of October 2025, adds Hira.

Evander 7

With PAR’s Evander 7 Shaft project, a part of its broader Egoli project, being a water positive mine, PAR is developing a Phase 2 water treatment plant. When completed, this plant will handle up to six-million litres a day.

Fissure water is pumped daily from the Evander 7 shaft. Depending on the season, volumes average between eight-million litres a day to ten-million litres a day, notes PAR group engineer Wayne Allen.