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Diamonds News
New hands-free diamond sorting to be launched
By: System Author 16th July 1999 Within months, the Jwaneng diamond-mine in southern Botswana will be ready to introduce completely ‘hands-free’ diamond processing. The operation is in the final throes of a R460-million project to introduce South African technology that will automate its processing and sorting,... →
New-millennium diamond mine
By: System Author 16th July 1999 lthough the commissioning of the R2-billion expansion project at Orapa diamond-mine 240 km west of Francistown in Botswana got off to a slow start, project manager Dave Porter tells Mining Weekly that the project is ahead of the original completion date of January 1, 2000. Undertaken by Debswana,... →
Expansion project ‘largely complete’
By: System Author 16th July 1999 All the main works contracts and con- struction at the R2-billion expansion project at Debswana’s Orapa dia- mond-mine, in Botswana, are largely complete, reports construction manager Kevin Botha. “There are still small construction activities taking place, but nothing... →
No. 2 treatment plant
By: System Author 16th July 1999 Construction of the number-two diamond-treatment plant at Orapa, in Botswana, was undertaken in joint venture with Group Five Projects and Sydcor Engineering Projects. Group Five Projects business development director Richard van den Barg reports that both companies were invited to tender for... →
Conveyor upgrade gets a lift
By: System Author 16th July 1999 The Orapa 2000 conveyor-upgrading contracts were awarded to materials-handling company Aeroconveyors of Johannesburg. Valued at R2,25-million, the project included interface conveyors linking the old plant to the new. The company has been in the materials-handling field for nearly two decades.... →
No reason to carp at R63-million contract
By: System Author 16th July 1999 The main supply contract for the completely-automated recovery plant (Carp) at the Orapa diamond-mine in Botswana was awarded to wholly-owned De Beers subsidiary Debex, an X-ray diamond-sorting equipment company, towards the end of 1996. The Carp was supplied in November last year at an estimated... →
Scada system sets record
By: System Author 16th July 1999 Most likely the largest personal computer (PC)-based supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) system in Southern Africa, and one of the largest in the world, has been supplied to the R2-billion expansion project at Orapa diamond-mine in Botswana. The contract was awarded to control-system... →
R1m contract
By: System Author 16th July 1999 The contract to provide servers, networking equipment, system software and associated peripherals to the expansion project at Orapa diamond-mine in Botswana was carried out by Johannesburg-based networking company Netpro. Valued at around R1-million, the network forms the backbone for the entire... →
Marine process plant contract
By: System Author 16th July 1999 The contract to design the process plant for Namibian Minerals Corporation’s (Namco)‚ Mark II vessel, which is planned to be operating off the diamond-rich west coast of Southern Africa by the middle of next year, has been awarded to Dowding Reynard and Associates (DRA) of... →
Geologist backs junior’s claims
By: System Author 9th July 1999 With the market only tolerating companies with rock-solid assets, doubts about the prospects of junior mining exploration company Noble Minerals seem to have been a contributing factor in its poor listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in June. Noble is 30% complete with physical exploration... →
Metallogenic map of subequatorial Africa
By: System Author 9th July 1999 July 1999 is an important month for anyone involved in mining in Southern Africa – for the first time, an extensive metallogenic map will be released for the Southern African region, including crucial information such as the detailed location of mineral deposits as well as the... →
India to train ten SA jewellers
By: System Author 9th July 1999 On the initiative of the South African High Commission in India, Jerry Matsila, ten South Africans from the North West Province will be trained by experts at the University of New Delhi in jewellery design and manufacture. Funded by the Indian Technical Education Commission, the programme will be... →
New X-ray scanner for mine security
By: System Author 2nd July 1999 IN collaboration with De Beers group security, Debtech has produced an X-ray scanner for security applications which is a strong, quick, safe and effective deterrent to the concealment of illegal items on or within the human body. Scannex is an ultra-low-dose, full through-body scanning X-ray... →
Mining locos taken for granted
By: System Author 25th June 1999 Mining locomotives are such an established part of Southern African mining that they are taken for granted only too often. This has resulted in many users not utilising the full potential of their horizontal-transport investment. Mine rolling-stock and locomotive investment at present-day... →
Diamond industry hit from all sides
By: System Author 25th June 1999 At the time of going to press all signs were positive that diamond giant De Beers was about to resume exporting diamonds to its marketing arm, the Central Selling Organisation (CSO), in London, with it in the process of assembling goods for export. The interruption in exports was due to a dispute... →
Juniors need to sharpen credibility
By: System Author 25th June 1999 Junior mining and exploration companies might be aided in their d →
Low-cost diamond advantage
By: System Author 18th June 1999 A small diamond-mine in the Northern Province, discovered on ‘The Oaks’ farm, which yielded more than 7 400 carats in the first three months of operation, is referred to by De Beers chairperson Nicky Oppenheimer as an important advantage in an increasingly competitive environment, in... →
Africa’s most advanced diamond-training school
By: System Author 18th June 1999 With South Africa being a significant producer of gem-quality diamonds, various efforts are being undertaken to develop its downstream diamond industry. The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School in Johannesburg, funded by the Diamond Foundation and De Beers, provides the opportunity for... →
SA production increases
By: System Author 18th June 1999 PROVISIONAL statistics indicate that South Africa’s rough-diamond production for last year amounted to about 10,5-million carats, an increase of 4,6% (some 460 000 carats) on the 10,04-million carats produced in 1997, reports Minerals Bureau chief mineral commodity specialist Ashok... →
Diamond software shines on
By: System Author 18th June 1999 With an ever-increasing drive to increase profits, the diamond-mining industry has now started to invest more in the development and use of software aimed at effective resource management, reports Gemcom director Ian Jones. “Historically, the resource-management divisions at mines have... →
R2-billion Orapa expansion project is ahead of schedule
By: System Author 18th June 1999 The R2-billion project to double the production of Orapa diamond-mine 240 km west of Francistown in Botswana from six-million car/y to 12-million car/y is ahead of schedule, with the first diamonds from the commissioning phase expected to be produced by the beginning of August. The project is... →
Diamond-mining screen products
By: System Author 18th June 1999 Screen-product specialist Mesh- cape Industries, of Edenvale, Gauteng, supplies products to the diamond-mining industry. These include expanded handrailing, woven-wire screens and woven-wire mesh, polyurethane, perforated materials, floor grating, vee-wire products and filtration units.... →
Global search for diamonds
By: System Author 11th June 1999 Africa and Canada are the main focus areas of diamond giant De Beers’ global exploration programme, Mining Weekly can today report. “We have subdivided the world into three exploration areas – →
Trial mine for small miners
By: System Author 11th June 1999 The government’s commendable move towards establishing a more benign environment for small mining companies, is not only creating opportunities for junior operations to start up, but the innovative and unorthodox practices introduced by these are seeing the benefits being passed right down... →
Commodity renaissance: First course or dessert?
By: System Author 11th June 1999 The flurry of activity in resource shares on world stock markets, which began at the start of the year, has slowed, but there is still significant and growing interest in the sector. And while some are labelling it as the start of a ‘commodity renaissance’ others are not sure whether... →
Mechanised roof-bolting a hit
By: System Author 4th June 1999 Renewed focus on productivity and safety in the South African mining industry has sparked interest in the development of mechanised roof-bolting and other roof-support systems, reports Sandvik Tamrock business development director Gerald Elliott. In terms of underground mining methods, the South... →
Gold beneficiation initiatives take off
By: System Author 4th June 1999 South African gold-mining company Anglogold is undertaking various initiatives to support local gold beneficiation, including the ‘Riches of Africa’ gold jewellery design competition. At a gala function held in Gauteng in May to announce the overall winner, Anglogold CEO Bobby Godsell... →
Gold’s monetary role increasing
By: System Author 4th June 1999 There is still a broad appreciation of gold’s role as a monetary asset, evidenced by the fact that 120 institutional holders of the metal, such as Russia, Poland and the Philippines, are actively adding to their reserves. This is the view of World Gold Council (WGC) gold market analysis... →
Big diamond shake-up begins
By: System Author 21st May 1999 To resolve the long-standing tug-of-war played between the Government Diamond Valuator (GDV) and diamond exporters, the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has retreated to the written law. Minerals and Energy Minister Penuell Maduna, speaking at a press conference earlier this month, said... →
Jwaneng mine Gaborone, Botswana
By: System Author 21st May 1999 Name: Jwaneng mine Location: 200 km south-west of Gaborone, Botswana Brief description: The Jwaneng kimberlite deposit is made up of three distinct lobes which coalesce 80 m below surface to make one sub-outcrop with an area of 54 ha. These pipes were discovered during the 1970s and overburden... →
Gold.com: gold in bid to become cyber currency
By: System Author 21st May 1999 Over the last few years, it has become fashionable to talk of the demonetisation of gold; some have even referred to it as reverse alchemy. How can gold, which is really ‘g’ plus ‘old’, ever expect to regain a central place in the fast- moving, bit-and-byte-based financial... →
BUSTED: Operation Egoli nets 100 suspects
By: System Author 14th May 1999 An eleven-month undercover operation by the South African Police Services’ (SAPS) diamond and gold branch, code-named Egoli, reached its climax two weeks ago with the arrest of 100 suspects. As the cherry on top, sufficient evidence, in the form of 8,5 kg of processed gold, has been found... →
Tanzania showing the way
By: System Author 14th May 1999 By instituting economic, financial and tax reforms in a reasonably stable political environment, Tanzania is aiming to provide the climate necessary for mines to flourish in the country. Tanzania is a rich source of gold, diamonds, base metals, platinum-group metals, ferrous metals, tin,... →
‘Use it or lose it’ listing
By: System Author 14th May 1999 mong the first to list on the Johannes- burg Stock Exchange (JSE) as a result of changing government policy towards a more benign environment for small mining companies, is Noble Minerals. The company is about to enter the third and final phase of exploration at the Storm manganese deposit in the... →
Ekati Project Canada
By: System Author 14th May 1999 Name: Ekati Project Location: The mine is located in a remote tundra region near Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories (NWT), about 200 km south of the Arctic Circle. Brief description The mine is situated on a 853 000-acre claim block (which includes 8 000 lakes) and is Canada’s first... →
Gold council losing support
By: System Author 14th May 1999 Contributions to the World Gold Council (WGC) by global producers are dwindling. Speaking at the official launch of a new series of fashionable 24-carat gold coins by the South African Mint, Anglogold executive director, marketing, Kelvin Williams, said that support, as a percentage of world gold... →
Far East props up gold
By: System Author 14th May 1999 small band of gold producers that support the World Gold Council are riding united through the stormy winds of legislative change to find their own golden fleece in Far East markets. Through the council, gold producers are slowly opening up markets and increasing gold offtake. In 1992, India... →
Portable pilot flotation plant
By: System Author 7th May 1999 The adage ‘dynamite comes in small packages’ is ringing true at Lonrho’s Karee platinum mine near Rustenberg, in the North West Province, where a R1,5-million portable pilot flotation plant is being commissioned. The pilot plant, known as a flotability characterisation test rig... →
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