One of the world’s legendary diamond mines, Tanzania’s Williamson Diamonds Limited (WDL) is still going strong, 60 years after being established by Canadian Geologist Dr John Williamson.   Williamson Diamonds Limited is situated in the town of Mwadui and in the province of Shinyanga, 130Km from the city of Mwanza in Tanzania. The mine has been through an illustrious past and was managed from the early 1970’s to 1994 by the Tanzanian Government.
	In the early 1990’s, De Beers was invited back to manage the mine and today Williamson Diamonds Limited is owned 75% by De Beers (through) Willcroft Co Ltd – Bermuda (a De Beers subsidiary), and 25 % by the Government of Tanzania. New Alamasi (1963) Limited (NAL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of WDL.   The mine currently employs 1 116 staff (including contractors) and a small contingent of ex-patriates from South Africa (about 10). Diamond production from the three plants is expected to be in the region of 260 000 carats by the 2004 year end.   Today the management is challenged by low grades, increasing operating costs and the uncertainty of an inferred resource, yet there remains a great potential in the mine. Large gemstone quality diamonds are consistently been recovered, increasing the viability of the mine.   Production comes from the Main Plant, the Multi Purpose Plant, and the mining of alluvial and eluvial gravels on the New Alamasi property, adjoining the Williamson lease area. The spirit of the mine and its people are encapsulated in the stated vision of the company: We are striving to be a recognised leader in mining low-grade kimberlite.