Modern Mining March 2019

DIAMOND MINING

supply to the market. The good news – at least from Firestone’s perspective – is that quite a bit of production is due to exit the market, with Argyle in Australia, which is currently pro- ducing 14 Mct a year, reportedly heading for closure due to the depletion of its reserve. “The loss of so much production will, we believe, lead to a recovery of prices in the short- to medium-term. When this happens, Liqhobong, with its excellent production record and low-cost structure, will be well positioned to benefit. In the meantime, we’ve taken all the measures we can to reduce costs and boost efficiencies to allow us to ride out the present difficult conditions.” Photos courtesy of Firestone Diamonds

while the haulage fleet comprises 18 – soon to be increased to 22 – articulated dump trucks of mainly 40-tonne capacity. All told and includ- ing contractor personnel, Liqhobong provides employment for approximately 630 people, the vast majority of them citizens of Lesotho. Looking ahead, Bosma says there are strong indications that the price of smaller, lower value, run of mine stones – which account for the bulk of Liqhobong’s production – will improve. “The present depressed price is in large measure due to the fact that over the past two to three years, three new mines, includ- ing Liqhobong, have come on stream, the big one being Gahcho Kué in Canada,” he states. “Collectively, they’ve added around 10 Mct of

Another view of Liqhobong showing the Residue Storage Facility (RSF) and site offices.

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