• Central pipeline produces high value stones
Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB) might not have reached maximum sorting and valuing capacity due to low diamond produce brought on its plants by other De Beers gem producing countries but Jwaneng Diamond Mine, an affiliate of the mother company, is the richest by value in the world. What is not generally known is that among the three pipelines being mined there, the central one produces high grade stones.
Jwaneng Mine contributes between 60 and 70 percent of De Beers’s total earnings, thanks to the central gem-packed pipeline making the mine worthy of investment for both the country and De Beers. The mine is a 50/50 Botswana and De Beers partnership.
Jwaneng Mine General Manager Albert Milton’s face lights up when he talks about the central pipeline. He refers to it as the “Bank of Botswana”. “The central pipeline contributes billions of Dollars in terms of value,” he states, citing that the pipeline produces high value diamonds unlike the other pipes.
The success of the mine, is not only in the quality gem stones they produce, it is guided by highly qualified Batswana whom he says manage key strategic areas of its operation.
Milton is quick to point out that the central pipeline is “important” to the economy of Botswana. However, he does not divulge the amount of contribution it makes due to trade secrets but states that had it been located anywhere else in the world it would have made “headline news”.
Located at the centre of the 2km long Jwaneng Mine, the 410-metre deep pipeline has a long future ahead. The mine can still go to a depth of 1 000m and this shows that it still has a long bright future ahead, according to Milton.
Entering into the new era, Milton says in 2018 Cut 8 will become a major source of ore for Debswana Jwaneng Mine. Initially, the project was expected to strip 713 million tonnes of waste in order to expose 75 million tonnes of ore and 95 million carats.
At Jwaneng Mine, the options to extend the life of the open pit beyond Cut 8 are being investigated while plans for a Cut 9 expansion and a possible Cut 10 or underground mine are being evaluated. To obtain information on the resources at depth (beyond 1 000m) a study to evaluate the resources at depth has also been initiated.
The success of the mine, according to Milton, is not only in the quality gem stones they produce, it is guided by highly qualified Batswana whom he says manage key strategic areas of its operation. “We have highly skilled locals at operational strategic levels of the mine, highly in demand from other big mining companies from across the world,” Milton said, adding that they contribute immensely to the success of the mine.
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