A maiden drilling campaign targeting the largest unexplored anomaly within Cazaly Resources’ Abenab North project is set to move ahead in the third quarter of 2026 after the company secured access to the Cadix Farm area, removing the final obstacle to exploration at what has become its highest-priority target in Namibia.
The access agreement grants the Australian explorer access to the Cadix anomaly, a large, untested magnetic feature measuring more than 800 metres in diameter that dominates the geophysical signature of the Abenab North project in northern Namibia.
With land access now secured, Cazaly plans to begin detailed magnetic surveys, geological mapping and final drill targeting ahead of its first-ever drilling campaign on the prospect.
The company believes Cadix is the most compelling target within its 790-square-kilometre Abenab North licence area because of its size and geological similarities to nearby carbonatite bodies that have already returned encouraging rare-earth results from historical drilling.
For Cazaly, the development marks a significant milestone in a project that has gradually emerged as one of the more intriguing rare-earth and base-metal exploration plays in Namibia’s Otavi Fold Belt.
Located about 450 kilometres north of Windhoek and approximately 20 kilometres east of the historic Tsumeb mine, Abenab North sits within the mineral-rich Otavi geological province, an area renowned for hosting some of Africa’s most significant copper, zinc and lead deposits.
The project forms part of the broader Damara Copper Belt and is considered prospective for rare earth elements, copper, vanadium and other base metals. The licence area is underlain by dolomites and sedimentary rocks of the Otavi Fold Belt and contains multiple carbonatite intrusions identified through historical exploration programmes.
Cazaly acquired the project as part of its strategy to build exposure to critical minerals in Namibia, with particular focus on rare-earth-bearing carbonatites. Since taking control of the licence, the company has reprocessed historical aeromagnetic data to identify and prioritise exploration targets across the property.
That work ultimately led to the recognition of the Cadix anomaly as the dominant undrilled target within the project area.
The anomaly is substantially larger than magnetic targets tested by previous explorers and remains one of the few major features within the licence that has never been drill tested.
Historical exploration nevertheless demonstrated the fertility of the mineral system.
Drilling undertaken by Kudu Minerals in 2004 and later by Avonlea Minerals between 2010 and 2011 intersected rare earth mineralisation in several smaller carbonatite bodies surrounding Cadix.
Among the most significant results were 45 metres grading 0.73% total rare earth oxides from 55 metres, including four metres grading 2.53% TREO, 16.7 metres grading 0.66% TREO from 94.6 metres, including 1.2 metres at 1.89% TREO, and 39.7 metres grading 0.55% TREO from 100.6 metres, including 3.6 metres at 1.22% TREO.
While those intersections confirmed the presence of rare earth mineralisation across the project, none of the drilling tested the much larger Cadix target itself.
That omission has become central to Cazaly’s exploration thesis.
The company believes the scale of the anomaly, coupled with the confirmed mineralisation style in adjacent carbonatite pipes, provides a strong rationale for drill testing the target. Reprocessed aeromagnetic data show Cadix as a coherent magnetic high extending over an area significantly larger than that of previously drilled anomalies.
Managing director Tara French said the target had become the focus of the company’s exploration efforts since the reinterpretation of historical geophysical data.
“Cadix is the target we have been working towards since we first reprocessed the aeromagnetics and recognised the potential. The target is a large, coherent magnetic anomaly that remains untested and represents a rare opportunity,” French said.
“Securing access to this ground is a significant milestone and we expect to be on site in Q3 2026.”
The next phase of work will involve the mobilisation of field teams to undertake baseline mapping and detailed magnetic surveys designed to refine drill locations.
Once completed, the company intends to commence its maiden drilling programme at Cadix.
Success at the target could significantly alter the exploration profile of Abenab North. Although the project currently has no defined mineral resource, the historical drilling results, confirmed carbonatite-hosted rare earth mineralisation, and the presence of a large untested magnetic anomaly have elevated Cadix into one of the most closely watched exploration targets within Cazaly’s Namibian portfolio.
The upcoming drilling programme will provide the first direct test of whether the largest geophysical target on the licence hosts a substantial rare earth-bearing carbonatite system beneath the surface.
