JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Two recent diamond tenders in Antwerp have earned Africa-focused diamond miner Namakwa Diamonds about $4.5-million.
The company sold 13 976 ct of diamonds mined at its Kao project, in Lesotho, at an average price of $274.5/ct, realising revenues of about $3.84-million.
“The eighth Antwerp tender of Kao product, and thirteenth since January 2012, has resulted in sales of a total of 202 931 ct from Kao mine production, generating $58.9-million in revenues for the company,” Namakwa Diamonds CEO Theo Botoulas said on Tuesday.
A second tender of diamonds mined at the company’s operations in South Africa’s North West province, earned it revenues of $681 994. A total of 1 136 ct were sold at an average price of $600/ct.
Meanwhile, Namakwa further reported that the fabrication of a new scrubber unit for its Kao operation was under way in Johannesburg and would be delivered to site at the start of May.
In January, the company said the scrubber unit at the Lesotho mine was likely to fail in the future, prompting it to contract Cobar, in South Africa, to fabricate a new unit.
Another company, Consulmet, is undertaking a new frame and mounting design for the scrubber unit.