DEBSWANA’S VALUE CHAIN 1.

MIN

ING

Dri

lling

and

bla

stin

g is

used

to b

reak

up

mill

ions

of t

onne

s of r

ock

and

assis

t in

the

load

ing

and

tran

spor

tatio

n of

ore

and

was

te

rock

. K

imbe

rlite

and

was

te r

ock

are

then

load

ed

into

mas

sive

truc

ks b

y la

rge

shov

els a

nd

take

n to

the

prim

ary

crus

her

and

wast

e

dum

ps re

spec

tivel

y.

2. COMMIN

UTION

Crush

ing,

scrubbin

g and re

crush

proce

sses a

re used

to bre

ak

and fr

actu

re th

e ore

, liber

ate

diamonds a

nd reduce

partic

les to

a man

agea

ble siz

e.

Comminutio

n is fr

om the L

atin

word co

mminutu

s, mea

ning

to le

ssen. I

n min

ing t

erms,

commin

ute mea

ns to re

duce to

minute

partic

les.

3. CONCENTRATION

Diamonds have a higher density than the rock

that hosts them. Once the ore has been crushed

to a manageable size, it is mixed into a slurry

of ferrosilicon and water in a process known as

Dense Media Separation (DMS).

The heavier diamonds sink in the slurry while the

rest of the lighter material floats. The concentrate

that contains diamonds (sinks) is transported to

the recovery plant and the material that floats

(tailings) is transported to the recrush plant

for further comminution.

4. RECOVERYDiamonds have several remarkable properties

that are exploited to recover them from the

stream of prepared concentrate. Diamonds

fluoresce when irradiated with x-rays.

They also repel water and are attracted to

grease. When the concentrate is mixed and

passed over a grease belt, the diamonds adhere

to the grease. Diamonds also emit a unique

signature under laser light.

5. SORTING AND SALES

Diamond sorting, cleaning, packaging and weighing takes

place in a Fully Integrated Sorthouse (FISH), part of the

Aquarium facility. FISH maximises diamond security while

optimising diamond sorting through the use of laser

technology. Debswana diamonds are then sorted and

valued by the Diamond Trading Company Botswana

(DTCB) in Gaborone. Here they are sorted before

being sold to De Beers and the Okavango Diamond

Company. Thereafter, rough diamonds find their

way to cutting and polishing centres, including in

Botswana, where they are sold to manufacturers

who produce diamond jewellery destined for

the leading consumer markets.

6. RESIDUE DISPOSAL

The tailings (waste or residue) from

concentration,

recovery and sorting, are disposed of in

mineral residue.

The diamond value chain comprises processes that progressively add value to the diamond resource, from mining to sales. As the diamond resource passes through each intervention phase, additional value is added.

CLARIFICATIONWelcome from the MD

Debswana leadership teams

Onboarding journey

Health and Wellness services

Training

Safety and Sustainability development

Transport services

Benefits contact details

CONNECTIONHousing

In your area

OLDM schools

Jwaneng schools

Guest accommodation

Social and recreational clubs

Environment and Game Parks

Sustainability

CULTUREAbout our Values

Debswana overview

Vision and Mission

Diamond Value Chain

Code of Conduct and Ethics

Botswana overview

Botswana and diamonds

COMPLIANCERegulations and Legislation

Debswana Compliance

Labour Relations Act

Precious and Semi-precious Stones Act

Immigration Act

Tax Compliance

Import regulations