DIAMONDS & GEMS | BOTSWANA Ghaghoo Botswana’s next generation mine offi cially in production Gem Diamond’s new and recently operational Ghaghoo diamond mine in Botswana was originally called Gope, meaning “nowhere”. Having officially entered into commercial production, the company is celebrating the specialist technical skillsets it injected into the project to overcome enormous logistical challenges. It now represents the changing future of diamond mining in Botswana, and beyond says CEO Clifford Elphick. Vicky Sidler reports from site. Botswana nation now has another mine which adds to its already very impressive list of existing operations.” IN SHORT The newly opened Ghaghoo diamond mine in Botswana showcases Gem Diamonds’ determination to develop an underground mine under 80 vertical metres of beach-like Kalahari sand overburden. T he Ghaghoo diamond mine is located in an exceptionally remote area of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with a difficult 160 km dirt track connecting it to Lephepe, the nearest town. Its ore body boasts a total resource of 20.53 million carats at an in-situ value of US$ 4.9 billion, but is buried under some 80 vertical metres of sand overburden before competent rock is reached. The project was acquired in 2007 and has undergone significant development challenges and changes along the way, including a complete mine redevelopment plan and the Ghaghoo process plant 22 MINING REVIEW AFRICA ISSUE 11 2014 subsequent necessity to ‘plough’ through geological complexities that made timeframe schedules difficult to meet. DIGGING FOR DIAMONDS IN THE KALAHARI To tunnel to the ore body hidden under the thick layer of desert sand, Gem Diamonds made use of a specially designed hydraulically operated open-faced tunnel shield to support the 6.1 m diameter sand tunnel while it was being lined with concrete rings consisting of ten 150 mm thick individual concrete segments. “The logistical challenges have been huge,” Elphick explained at the official opening of the mine on 5 September. “The decline shaft, mill, ecline recovery plant, staff camp amp and infrastructure are now working, delivering diamonds into a market hungry The for the Ghaghoo tate ROM ’s steady-s product. The Ghaghoo ed by the rate plann roduction p 14 end of 20 CT FAST FA m 60 000 tp “We have found a wa to access way the ore body using techniques usi and a method at a cost which proved to work pr