Caledonia Mining appoints new operations chief

Caledonia Mining announced the appointment of James Mufara as its chief operating officer on Monday, effective 1 May.

The AIM-traded firm said Mufara would bring a wealth of experience to the group, having previously served at Harmony Gold Mining as regional general manager.

In that role, he oversaw a portfolio of operations comprising five mines and 15,000 staff, extracting 450,000 ounces of gold annually.

“I am delighted James will soon be starting his new role at Caledonia,” said chief executive officer Mark Learmonth.

“He will be joining us at a pivotal moment in Caledonia's development and I know the team will benefit from his wealth of experience.

“I very much look forward to working with him.”

With over 25 years of experience in the mining sector in Southern Africa, including 13 years in leadership positions, Caledonia said Mufara's expertise would be invaluable.

It said his career had primarily been in gold mining, with additional exposure to nickel, copper, and chrome mining.

Notably, he has extensive experience in both deep-level underground mining and open-pit operations, aligning well with Caledonia's existing underground operation at the Blanket mine and its development projects at Bilboes and Motapa, which were slated to be open-pit operations.

Mufara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering, and an MBA.

“I am excited that I will be joining Caledonia and look forward to working with the talented team to drive operational performance across the group's high-quality portfolio,” said James Mufara.

At 1253 BST, shares in Caledonia Mining were up 2.66% at 867.5p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.