West Wits opens SA's first underground gold mine in 15 years - just outside the City of Gold

PL

Paula Luckhoff

4 December 2025 | 19:12

Gold mining has returned to the Witwatersrand!

West Wits opens SA's first underground gold mine in 15 years - just outside the City of Gold

West Wits Mining reaches operational milestone with delivery of first underground ore from Qala Shallows gold project - Image supplied

West Wits Mining has officially opened the first new underground gold mine in South Africa in 15 years.
The Qala Shallows project also marks the return of gold mining to the Witwatersrand - it's located just 15 km from the central business district of Johannesburg.
The opening of the mine marks the start of a new growth chapter for South African gold mining, declared West Wits CEO Rudi Deysel.
He said it demonstrates that the country 'can still build safe, modern underground operations that generate long-term value for the economy and local communities'.
Qala Shallows is expected to contribute more than R19.5 billion ($1.15 billion) to the national economy over its 17-year lifespan, supported by a steady-state production profile of 70,000 ounces per year for 12 years.
West Wits says the mine will also create more than 1,000 direct jobs as part of the first phase of its broader Witwatersrand Basin Project, and support wide economic activity in surrounding communities.
In conversation with Stephen Grootes, Deysel explains that after the heyday of the Witwatersrand, when the gold price was low, mining the site for low-grade gold was probably not considered profitable.
With prices now at record highs, it of course makes sense to mine at Qala Shallows.
"It's a virgin piece of ground... and we are actually mining from surface only up to 850 meters, which means it is really a shallow gold mine."
This means it is a very profitable project, with West Wits' break-even point at just $1,281 dollars per ounce, while current prices are riding about $4,000 for an ounce of gold.

To hear more about the Qala Shallows project, scroll back up to the audio player 

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