Namdeb’s Orange River mining area stretches inland for about 50 km from the river mouth along the river to Sendelingsdrift.
Opening of the Daberas mine
Daberas mine, which forms part of the area, is 65 km north east of Oranjemund.
As only Auchas and Daberas have been partially mined to date, the Orange River mining area is still resource-rich. Significant resources still remain at Arisdrift, Auchas Lower, Auchas, Obib and Sendelingsdrif.
Background
Diamonds were first discovered on the south bank of the lower Orange River by Dr Ernst Reuning in 1957. Prospecting on the northern bank started in 1968.
The Orange River mines contribute 15% to Namdeb’s total revenue and 7.3% of carats produced.
Diamonds recovered at the Orange River mines are renowned for their quality and size.
Carats per year
In 2007 a total of 85,000 carats were recovered from 6.1 million tonnes of ore treated at Daberas.
Mine type - geology and process
Current operations focus on the mining of ancient gravel terraces at Daberas.
Mining started in October 1999, and under normal operations would expect to be depleted sometime after 2010.
A pre-feasibility study has been completed on the Sendelingsdrif deposit so that mining may start there once Daberas is depleted.
Health and Safety
In 2007, Orange River Mines retained a NOSCAR status for the ninth consecutive year, and obtained OSHAS 18001 accreditation. It also retained its ISO 14001 status. LTIFR for Namdeb to end October 2008: 0.21.
Environment
The rehabilitation of worked out mining areas and management of the environmental impact on new areas continues to be a key priority.
Find out more about Namdeb and its other operations >