Jobs return to Kombat
New Horizon Copper has rebuilt the workforce at Kombat Mine to about 311 people and expects the number to nearly double to about 600 by the end of the year as it prepares the historic copper operation for a new restart.
The latest figure is contained in a request for quotations issued by the company for food truck and catering services at the mine, where construction, plant upgrades and preparations for renewed underground mining are under way.
“Current workforce is approximately 311, with anticipated growth to approximately 600 by year-end for planning purposes only,” the company said in the procurement notice.
The projection would mean almost 300 additional workers joining the operation in the remaining months of 2026. NHC cautioned, however, that the 600 figure was provided for planning purposes and did not represent a firm employment commitment.
The company did not disclose how many of the 311 workers are permanent employees, contractors or technical staff.
The rebuilding of the workforce marks a sharp reversal from 2025, when flooding halted underground mining and most of Kombat's workforce was retrenched.
According to the Chamber of Mines of Namibia, 554 permanent and fixed-term employees were retrenched during 2025. By the end of that year, the operation had six permanent employees, four temporary employees and 84 contractors, according to company figures.
Kombat's underground operation was suspended on 16 January 2025 after both of the mine's main submersible dewatering pumps failed, allowing underground water levels to rise.
Kombat before the restart
Before the shutdown, the mine produced about 23 000 tonnes of underground ore in January 2025 at an average grade of 1.62% copper.
The flooding came after Canadian-listed Trigon Metals had revived Kombat following years of inactivity. The company operated open-pit mining from May 2023 to September 2024 before moving into underground production at Asis West in February 2024.
Trigon subsequently agreed to sell its interest in Kombat to Horizon Corporation and Kamino Minerals in May 2025. The transaction was completed in December, with Horizon acquiring Trigon's 80% interest. Assoand Exploration holds 10% and state-owned Epangelo Mining Company the remaining 10%.
Trigon Mining Namibia was subsequently renamed New Horizon Copper as the operation entered a new phase of recapitalisation and redevelopment.
The ownership structure changed again this year after Horizon Frontier Holdings acquired Kamino Minerals in a transaction approved by the Namibian Competition Commission in April.
