13 Oct 2015

The managing director of Kimberly Diamond Company from Australia, Mr Noel Halgreen says Lerala Diamond Mine will commence its operations in February next year. At the moment, Mr Halgreen said the mine was still under the refurbishment and modification stage to enable it to treat the amount of the tonnes that were expected per hours. 

He said the mine would also be upgraded. Mr Halgreen was speaking at a kgotla meeting in Lerala recently. 

He explained that the plant would be modified and refurbished to enable sustainable production rates to be achieved and maximise the recovery of the diamond. He, however said this had not been achieved in the past.

A professional mining contractor, he said would be appointed through a tender process to ensure that mining is done safely to a high standard and cost effectively.

He said they would also look for ways to extend the life of the operation through further exploration of the kimberlite pipes and by maximising diamond revenues and minimising operating costs.

He pointed out that his company brings the considerable in-house diamond mining experience to the operation of the mine.

Mr Halgreen said his company needs to make success out of Lerala mine project, which had a mine life of seven years and they would need support from the community.

As a starting point, he said the company would always attempt to hire locally and only when that turns out not to be feasible they would go further afield. 

He said he was optimistic that the mine would bring employment opportunities for the inhabitants of Lerala village.

Also, he said, local businesses would benefit from Lerala mine’s purchasing and that in turn would generate further employment opportunities. He further said that his mine would liaise with Lerala to see how they could assist the village with any employment and other opportunities for the inhabitants. Ends