Venetia mine opened in 14 August 1992, and is currently the largest producer of diamonds in South Africa.
It yields approximately 40% of South Africa’s total annual diamond production.
The mine is situated in Limpopo Province, 25km south of where the international borders of Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa intersect.
The mine is currently an open-pit operation, but it is expected to convert to underground mining between 2018 and 2021 as the mine becomes deeper. The current targeted pit floor level is at a depth of 400 meters.
The Venetia cluster comprises 12 Group I kimberlite bodies. The two largest pipes are currently being mined in a single open-pit operation at an average grade of 110.7 cpht.
The mine life is estimated at 20 years, although it is likely that other intrusions in the cluster might be mined in the future, thereby extending the life of mine.
Venetia is located in a poor area of South Africa and De Beers is involved in numerous poverty alleviation programmes.
These include job creation projects in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the Musina municipality.
De Beers also invests heavily in HIV/Aids prevention and care programmes.
Venetia is the first diamond mine to achieve the ISO9002 Quality Management Certification.
The mine’s environmental management programme is ISO14001 certified and its safety record has earned it numerous Noscar Awards.
De Beers is closely involved in a variety of ecological conservation efforts, including:
- Relocating plants and animals affected by our mining activities
- Relocating tiger fish from Komatipoort to Venetia’s off-channel storage facility, in conjunction with the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve