Debswana, Botswana

Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Limited (Debswana) was established in 1969 and is one of the world's foremost diamond producer by value and volume. The company operates four diamond mines: Jwaneng, Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines (the latter three are grouped under the acronym OLDM) and has a Corporate Centre in Gaborone.

Jwaneng Mine

The Jwaneng pipe was discovered in the Naledi River Valley ('Valley of the Stars'), Southern Botswana, in 1972.

Jwaneng Mine is one of the richest diamond mines in the world. The mine became fully operational in August 1982, when it was officially opened by the then President of Botswana, His Excellency Sir Ketumile Masire. Construction of the mine and the township commenced rapidly, the former coming into full production in July 1982.

Jwaneng Mine is the flagship of Debswana due to substantially higher dollar per carat obtained for its gems. Jwaneng Mine contributes about 60-70% of Debswana’s total revenue.

For more information, refer to the website for Jwaneng Mine here.

Orapa Mine

Orapa is a conventional open pit mine, situated 240 km west of Francistown. The Mine was discovered in 1967 by a team of De Beers Geologists led by Manfred Marx. It became fully operational in July 1971 following an official opening by the then President of Botswana, His Excellency Sir Seretse Khama. 

Currently Orapa is mining at a depth of 305 metres and is expected to reach 350 metres by 2026. Production normally varies according to mining plans at an average of 10 million carats per year. Orapa is a closed town with a population of over 12 000 people, it serves as the administrative centre for Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines.

For more information, refer to the website for Orapa Mine here.

Letlhakane Mine

Letlhakane Mine is situated 50 km from Debswana's Orapa operation and 190 km West of Francistown, in Central Botswana. The mine which was first discovered during the sampling and evaluation process at Orapa, became Debswana's second mine when it opened in 1975.

Open-pit operations at Letlhakane Mine ceased as planned in 2017. The plant for processing of tailings, which will extend the life of the operation to 2043, has been completed and is now operational. The plant has a capacity of up to 800,000 carats per annum.

For more information, refer to the website for Letlhakane Mine here.

Damtshaa Mine

Four small diamond pipes (B/K1, B/K9, B/K12 and B/K 15) were discovered between 1967 and 1972 in an area 20km east of the Orapa Kimberlite pipe. These pipes were grouped to form the Damtshaa Mine and are managed, along with Letlhakane Mine, from the Orapa operation. Damtshaa has been forecast to yield 5 million carats from 39 million tons of ore that are to be mined over the 31 year projected life of mine. 201 920 carats were recovered at Damtshaa in 2020.

For more information, refer to the website for Damtshaa Mine here.