Name and location
Mothae kimberlite project, Lesotho.

Project description
The Mothae project is a large-scale bulk sampling programme.

The site hosts a large diamondiferous kimberlite pipe, with an estimated surface extent of 8,8 ha and is located adjacent to, and directly on trend with, the world-famous Letseng diamond mine. Current work at Mothae is focused on site establishment and processing plant design. The process plant design will use a 40-t/h dense-media separation (DMS) unit that is configured to recover between 2-mm and -18-mm-size fraction.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
A timeframe for the project has not been disclosed.

Breakdown of main contracts
Not stated.

Client
Motapa Diamonds and Lucara Damonds.

Latest developments
Fabrication of a 40-t/h DMS plant was completed in early December 2007 and the plant has been mobilised to the Mothae site. Assembly work is in progress. Wet testing of the plant will start immediately thereafter.

At the Mothae site, work is nearing completion on the waste storage area, and a plant process water reservoir. Further, prestripping of the initial sample site is under way and 5 000 t of kimberlite material will be stockpiled for processing in early 2008.

A 30 000-t sample will be processed in the first half of 2008. Pending results of this work, an additional 70 000 t will be processed to determine diamond value.

Participants
Gemcore (plant design, fabrication and commissioning).

Construction materials
Not stated.

On budget and on time?
Not stated.

Contact details for project information
Motapa Diamonds, tel +1 604 980 6770 or email contact@motapadiamonds.com.