07 Dec 2014

Debswana has made significant improvements in operational performance, which enabled the Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines (OLDM) to achieve annual carat budget by November, Debswana Diamond Company managing director, Mr Balisi Bonyongo has said.

“We currently have a carat surplus of 1.7 million carats, of which 1.3 million carats is from OLDM,” said Mr Bonyongo.

Speaking during the OLDM long service awards, Mr Bonyongo said at the beginning of the year, Debswana launched a new operational strategy aimed to transform the company into a high performance organisation by 2018.

According to Mr Bonyongo, that would ensure that the company operated at global benchmark levels of performance and efficiency.

“2014 was the first full year of that strategy and our performance this year has been impressive,” revealed Mr Bonyongo and added that the company’s safety performance had been exceptional and now comparable with the best in the world.

On other issues the managing director revealed that in the next five years, the company would undertake major diamond production projects to expand mines including Orapa mine.

The project would require significant capital investments and would require committed employees to undertake the expansion. ends