New Horizon Copper Expands Workforce Ahead of Kombat Mine Restart

New Horizon Copper is rapidly rebuilding its workforce at Namibia’s historic Kombat Mine as redevelopment work advances ahead of the planned restart of underground mining.

The company has grown its workforce to approximately 429 employees and is targeting around 600 by the end of 2026, according to African Mining Market. The recruitment drive comes as the company increases activity across construction, processing infrastructure, dewatering and other preparations for renewed production.

Kombat’s underground operations were suspended in January 2025 after the failure of critical dewatering pumps resulted in flooding. The shutdown led to substantial workforce reductions, with 554 permanent and fixed-term employees retrenched during 2025, according to the Chamber of Mines of Namibia.

The operation subsequently changed ownership. Horizon Corporation acquired Trigon Metals’ 80% interest in Kombat and its associated mineral licences, with Namibian shareholders Texel Mining and Exploration and state-owned Epangelo Mining Company each retaining 10%.

Since taking control, New Horizon Copper has launched a major redevelopment programme. The company has committed approximately N$462 million to the initial redevelopment phase, with plans to increase the investment to almost N$1 billion. A key priority is improving underground water management to prevent a recurrence of the flooding that halted production.

The redevelopment programme also includes processing plant upgrades, new milling capacity, sensor-based sorting technology, underground development and significant dewatering infrastructure. Horizon Corporation said commissioning of the upgraded processing plant is targeted for October 2026.

The workforce expansion is also creating new employment opportunities for Namibians as the project moves closer to restarting operations. Recent recruitment has included plant operators, control-room operators, plant assistants, site-services positions and underground construction roles.

New Horizon Copper is pursuing a phased restart strategy, with the Kombat operation expected to return to production during the fourth quarter of 2026. At steady state, the mine is designed to process up to 60,000 tonnes of ore per month, potentially doubling historical throughput.

The rebuilding of the workforce therefore forms part of a broader effort to restore Kombat as a significant copper operation while strengthening local employment and technical capacity around the mine.

With infrastructure upgrades progressing and recruitment accelerating, the coming months will be critical as New Horizon Copper works to transition Kombat from redevelopment back into production.