Modern Mining May 2019

COUNTRY FOCUS: BOTSWANA

Karowe mine of Canada’s Lucara Diamond Corp, which was opened in 2012 and which has subsequently established a reputation as the world’s most prolific producer of large diamonds, continues to impress. In the first quarter of this year, it delivered a strong operat- ing performance, with a record 0,76 Mt of ore being processed, making the quarter the best in

revenue typically ranges between 60 and 70 %. The mining contract for Cut-9 has been awarded by Debswana to Majwe Mining, a joint venture between Bothakga Burrow Botswana and Thiess Botswana. The value of the contract is US$1,2 billion. Majwe will provide full scope mining services over nine years, including drill and on-bench services, mine planning, equip-

The Karowe mine is located in the Orapa Kimberlite Field (OKF) and has become famous for the number of large diamonds it produces, including two which have exceeded 1 000 carats (photo: Lucara).

ment maintenance, load and haul, and mining operations. This new volume-based contract follows Majwe’s successful completion of the Cut-8 project at Jwaneng in November 2018. The new cut at Jwaneng is likely to be followed in due course by a further cut at Debswana’s Orapa mine – Cut-3. The project has not yet been formally approved but reports in the Botswana media suggest it will go ahead and that mining of waste to access the orebody could start in 2022. While Debswana accounts for the bulk of Botswana’s diamond production, the

Exploration by Australian company MOD Resources in the Kalahari Copperbelt (photo: MOD Resources).

May 2019  MODERN MINING  27