Academic literature on the topic 'Botswana’s Diamond Mining Industry'

The Vision 2016, which is a set of strategic plans desired to position Botswana at the completive edge of the socio-economic hierarchy in Africa, is being implemented with concerted efforts from both the private and the public sector, including ordinary citizens. One of the major motivations for drawing this strategy has been the desire to transform Botswana from a resource and industry-based (e.g. agriculture and diamond mining) to knowledge-based economy. This has come from the realisation that in order to compete favourably at a global scale, there is need to put in place efficient knowledge value chains. To this course, several initiatives have been devised and/or implemented by both the government and the public sector. This article surveys the fundamental concepts on which this paradigm shift is hinged and brings out the different issues, initiatives and policies (such as Information and Communications Technology development, nurturing of an appropriate human resource base by way of strategic human resource development plans, investment in intellectual capital, etc.) that have been done so far in Botswana. The article, however, does not claim that it offers a compendium of existing programs towards a knowledgebased economy initiated by Botswana. The article posits that although significant strides have been scored in Botswana’s efforts towards a knowledge-based economy, a lot more needs to be done if it were to compete favourably at an international stage.

The popular film The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) remains, despite its age, the primary reference point for Westerners with regard to the San people of southern Africa (commonly known outside Africa as the Bushmen). It is a catalyst for tourist interest in the people since many tourists, as this paper demonstrates, credulously accept the mythology that the San people live now as (and where) they do in the film. Indeed, a Lonely Planet ‘coffee-table’ publication of 2010 cites the film as mandatory viewing for tourists prior to visiting Botswana. The San’s lifestyle is depicted in the film as one of Garden-of-Eden tranquility, although the landscape is somewhat more arid than the Genesis idyll. The San had been driven out of the Kalahari by the Botswana government in the interests of diamond mining, big-game hunting and high-end tourism. Meanwhile, tourist ephemera in-country extols the lifestyle of the Bushmen esoterically, producing imagery that suggests they are still living as they did for millennia, omitting any mention of their modern realities and perpetuating a lie about their ongoing relationship with lands to which they no longer have access. The film is explored here via some thematic distinctions of Spurr (1993). This paper transcribes these distinctions (or tropes) of colonialist thought and action as neo-colonialist which are ubiquitously in operation within the modern tourism industry, perpetuating disempowerment to a significant extent

This paper investigates the topic of sustainable natural resource governance, and policy and politics thereof, in the context of Botswana. The authors endeavour to provide a preliminary justification for why Botswana, as a country of investigation, is a potential role model and a site of deep study for researchers of contemporary sustainable resource governance. This paper argues that the rest of Africa can learn from the Government of Botswana’s policies regarding multinational corporations operating in the mining sector, particularly in terms of attracting investment, but, too, Botswana could learn much from others in terms of economic diversification and linkage promotion.

This paper provides basic materials for considering the sustainability of natural resource development in the Arctic, taking the Sakha Republic as a case study of the Russian Arctic regions. The author clarifies the contribution of the mining industry to the economic development of Sakha with special attention paid to the contribution to government budgets by numerical and statistical analysis of regional and municipal data. The paper demonstrates that the mining industry has been a driving force of the economic growth of Sakha and that the oil sector has sharply increased its presence while the diamond sector has decreased its presence. Simultaneously, it reveals that the mining industry is unevenly developed in Sakha, which has caused significant inequality in per capita Gross Municipal Product (GMP). Then, the analysis of the paper shows that Sakha’s contribution to the federal budget has increased significantly in recent years due to growing oil production and that the diamond sector is still more influential than the oil sector in the contribution to the republican and local budgets.

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) via mineral carbonation is an effective method for long-term storage of carbon dioxide and combating climate change. Implemented at a large-scale, it provides a viable solution to harvesting and storing the modern crisis of GHGs emissions. To date, technological and economic barriers have inhibited broad-scale utilisation of mineral carbonation at industrial scales. This paper outlines the mineral carbonation process; discusses drivers and barriers of mineral carbonation deployment in Australian mining; and, finally, proposes a unique approach to commercially viable CCUS within the Australian mining industry by integrating mine waste management with mine site rehabilitation, and leveraging relationships with local coal-fired power station. This paper discusses using alkaline mine and coal-fired power station waste (fly ash, red mud, and ultramafic mine tailings, i.e., nickel, diamond, PGE (platinum group elements), and legacy asbestos mine tailings) as the feedstock for CCUS to produce environmentally benign materials, which can be used in mine reclamation. Geographical proximity of mining operations, mining waste storage facilities and coal-fired power stations in Australia are identified; and possible synergies between them are discussed. This paper demonstrates that large-scale alkaline waste production and mine site reclamation can become integrated to mechanise CCUS. Furthermore, financial liabilities associated with such waste management and site reclamation could overcome many of the current economic setbacks of retrofitting CCUS in the mining industry. An improved approach to commercially viable climate change mitigation strategies available to the mining industry is reviewed in this paper.

Diamond mining is a rapidly developing industry, with an immensely large presence in Canada's Northwest Territories (NWT) with two currently functioning mines. Since the opening of the first mine in NWT in 1998, the Canadian federal government has viewed diamond production as 'essential' to both the territorial and national economies, frequently highlighting the benefits of diamond production. Entrenched in colonial language, the very existence of diamond mines in operation within NWT violate teachings, values, and the time honoured reciprocal relationships with the land held by Indigenous peoples across the territory. In problematizing this relationship, this paper employs the theories of Glen Coulthard's work For the Land: The Dene Nation's Struggle for Self- Determination, and examines the ways in which the operation of diamond mines exist as strongholds of settler-colonialism while simultaneously seeking to 'modernise' Canada's North. This is achieved through an exploration of Indigenous land relationships, the false beneficiary nature of diamond mine corporations, and finally the homeland vs. colonial frontier dichotomy.

ABSTRACT The highly prospective Precambrian Guyana shield south of the Orinoco River in Venezuela can be divided into five main provinces: Imataca, Pastora-Botanamo, Cuchivero, Amazonas, and Roraima. The combination of gold-rich granite-greenstone belts, felsic volcanic and granitic terrains, highly diamondiferous kimberlites, widespread gold and diamond placers, and large unexplored areas makes this region an exciting exploration province. Important mineralization events occurred at different times over a wide range of geologic time, from 3.2 Ga for banded iron formation in Imataca, 2.0 to 1.9 Ga for gold mineralization in Pastora-Botanamo, 0.71 Ga for diamondiferous kimberlite emplacement in Cuchivero, and the Tertiary for formation of enriched iron ores and bauxite ores in Imataca and Amazonas. Iron and aluminum mining is controlled by state mining corporations, with current annual ore production of 23 and 5.2 Mt, respectively. Gold mining is divided between state and private companies and artisanal operations. Total gold production is probably about 750,000 oz per year, including artisanal production. All diamond production is currently artisanal, with total estimated annual production of 500,000 ct. When current project go into production, Venezuela’s gold and diamond production will pass 1.3 Moz/yr and 1 Mct/yr, respectively. Artisanal mining is a key part of the gold and diamond-mining industry in Venezuela, and prospective exploration and mining companies must be aware of this; they should include projects with artisanal miners and local communities in their exploration and development planning.

Magister Public Health - MPH
Background: The HIV / AIDS pandemic have been characterized as the greatest natural challenge ever to confront humanity and one of the great moral causes of our time (World Bank, 2007). Although, the HIV and AIDS pandemic is a global problem, some regions of the world, notably sub-Saharan Africa are hardly hit by the pandemic. Namibia is one of the sub-Saharan African countries which are badly affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. It is estimated that about 360 000 Namibians were infected with HIV by 2010. This translates to a national HIV prevalence of (18.8%). The National HIV and AIDS Response Department has designed various interventions and strategies to curb the spread of the HIV. Promotion of male condoms promotion is one of the key strategies being advocated. If used consistently and correctly, male condoms are regarded as an effective preventive tool of HIV transmission. However, changing individual’s sexual behaviors and lifestyle to make condom use part of their sexual life seems to be the challenge. In Namibia most of the research in the area of HIV and AIDS were done among the youth and population aged between 15 – 49 years. Hence, this study looks at older men as a neglected population. Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of condom use among male employees age 50 (fifty) years and older at a mining company in Southern Namibia. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey utilizing quantitative research approach was applied. Data was collected through face-to-face interviewing male employees, age fifty years and older, while at work at the Mine Area 1 (MA1). Data was captured in excel and imported into SPSS version 16.0. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between KAP variables and the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: Among 105 respondents (males, mean age 54.5 years), more than half lived in the singe sex male hostels. Knowledge about condom use was good but there remained a significant number of the respondents whose knowledge was insufficient. A high percentage of the respondents suggested that HIV positive individuals should always use condom every time they have sexual intercourse. Conclusion: This study showed that respondents are not at a high risk of contracting HIV infection due to lack of knowledge on condom use though some of them possessed insufficient knowledge. Thus, to minimize the likelihood of HIV infection targeted interventions including peer education programmes were suggested, and working with the community in the area. Moreover, a more comprehensive knowledge attitude and practice study among mine employees from various sections of the mine would be beneficial to identify the level of risk within the total employee population.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Diamond mining started in Kimberley in the early 1870s following the discovery of the various diamond bearing kimberlite pipes. Initial open pit mining was replaced by underground mining as the pits went deeper and the last underground mining eventually ceased in 2005 as a result of economic reasons. The mining of these primary resources created a number of tailing resources (previously called dumps) that are scattered all over Kimberley. These resources still contain diamonds as a result of historical inefficient processing technologies. However, each of these resources have unique geological and metallurgical properties because of the differences in the original kimberlites and the different treatment technologies that were used when the tailing resources were deposited. The tailing resources are mined by a fleet of earthmoving equipment and delivered to one of Kimberley Mines‟ five treatment plants for diamond recovery. Each plant is different in terms of treatment capacity, technologies utilised and overall efficiencies. These differences, combined with the geo-metallurgical properties of each individual resource and the hauling distance from the resource to the plant, determine if the specific resource can be treated profitably through that plant. With this array of resources available, Kimberley Mines is in the fortunate position of having flexibility to maximise the Net Present Value (NPV) of the operation. Unfortunately this flexibility also increases the complexity of finding the optimal solution. Mine Planning is currently conducted with a spreadsheet based input – output model but this model is not able to match the resource properties with the plant parameters and this method results in a plan that may be neither practical nor optimal. The model is also very time-consuming and scenario analyses are therefore very limited. This report presents the development of a mixed integer linear programming model to assist with the development of a practical, optimal mine plan. The model is roughly based on a generic model that addresses facility location and processing plant problems as developed by Barbaro & Ramani (1986); however, the model presented in this report includes a more detailed mass balance within the plant and models how the metallurgical properties of the resources affect the mass balances and overall throughputs. The results of the project indicate that the current spreadsheet based Mine Plan is not practical since it violates two mass balance constraints within the Combined Treatment Plant. The newly developed system is used to generate a mining schedule that does not violate any constraints while still delivering the same net present value and overall throughput. The system also illustrates that the plant can improve the annual throughput by 18.2% by changing one screen size. The system also illustrates that only two of the five plants add value and supports management‟s recent decision that the production through the other plants should cease. In summary: The newly developed system generates an optimal, practical mine plan in less than a tenth of the time required for the old spreadsheet based model. The new system can also do various what-if scenarios which the previous model could not answer.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontginning van diamante in Kimberley het in die vroeë 1870s begin na die ontdekking van verskeie diamanthoudende kimberlietpype. Aanvanklike oopgroefmynbou is later vervang deur ondergrondse metodes soos die myne dieper geword het. Die laaste ondergrondse myne het in 2005 produksie gestaak as gevolg van ekonomiese redes. Die ontginning van hierdie primêre reserwes het gelei tot die ontstaan van verskeie uitskotreserwes (voorheen genoem afvalhope) verspreid oor Kimberley. Hierdie reserwes bevat steeds diamante as gevolg van die historiese oneffektiewe aanlegte. Die reserwes het elkeen egter verskillende geologiese en metallurgiese eienskappe as gevolg van die verskille in die oorspronklike kimberliete en die verskillende herwinningstegnologieë wat in gebruik was toe die uitskotreserwes gegenereer is. Die uitskotreserwes word gemyn deur ‟n vloot grondverskuiwingstoerusting en word afgelewer by een van Kimberley Myne se vyf aanlegte vir diamantherwinning. Elke aanleg is uniek in terme van kapasiteit, tegnologieë in gebruik en algehele effektiwiteit. Hierdie verskille, tesame met die geo-metallurgiese eienskappe van elke reserwe en die vervoerafstand van die reserwe na die aanleg bepaal of die spesifieke reserwe winsgewend deur daardie aanleg geprosesseer kan word. Bogenoemde verskeidenheid van hulpbronne gee aan Kimberley Myne die voordeel van buigsaamheid om die Netto Huidige Waarde (NHW) van die myn te maksimeer. Hierdie buigsaamheid vergroot egter die kompleksiteit om die optimale antwoord te vind. Beplanning word tans met ‟n sigblad gebasseerde invoer – uitvoer model gedoen, maar hierdie model is nie in staat om die reserwes se eienskappe by die aanlegte se parameters aan te pas nie. Hierdie metode genereer dus ‟n plan wat moontlik nie prakties of optimaal is nie. Die model is ook tydrowend en scenario analises is dus baie beperk. Hierdie verslag beskryf die ontwikkeling van ‟n gemengde heeltallige lineêre programmeringsmodel vir die ontwikkeling van ‟n praktiese, optimale produksieplan. Die model is losweg gegrond op ‟n generiese model van Barbaro & Ramani (1986) wat fasiliteit posisionering en aanlegprobleme aanspreek. Die model in hierdie verslag bevat egter ‟n meer gedetailleerde massabalans binne die aanleg en modelleer hoe die metallurgiese eienskappe van die reserwes die massabalanse en die algehele kapasiteite beïnvloed. Die resultate van die projek dui daarop dat die huidige sigblad produksieplan nie prakties is nie aangesien dit twee massabalansbeperkings in die Combined Treatment Plant oorskry. Die nuwe stelsel is gebruik om ‟n produksieskedule te genereer wat nie enige beperkings verbreek nie en wat terselfdertyd die aanvanklike netto huidige waarde en totale produksie ewenaar. Die stelsel wys ook dat die jaarlikse kapasiteit met 18.2% verhoog kan word deur een van die sif-groottes te verander. Die stelsel demonstreer ook dat slegs twee van die vyf aanlegte waarde toevoeg en ondersteun bestuur se onlangse besluit dat die produksie deur die ander aanlegte gestaak behoort te word. Ter samevatting: Die nuwe stelsel genereer ‟n optimale, praktiese produksieplan in minder as ‟n tiende van die tyd benodig vir die ou sigblad model. Die nuwe stelsel kan ook verskeie “Wat sal gebeur indien…” scenario‟s hanteer wat die vorige model nie kon beantwoord nie.

The paper shall offer a vigorous debate on the opportunities and challenges of enactment of Beneficiation Law. The term beneficiation has been used largely to mean downward linkages and value addition to mineral resources for the benefit and full participation of the communities in which the mineral resources are mined. The linkages and/ or interface between beneficiation law and international investment protection will also be considered. Here, the writer will endeavour to assess how such a law impacts on protection of foreign investments. The paper shall on a balance argue that the opportunities of enactment of this law far outweighs the costs of coming up with same. In cementing this argument the paper shall draw lessons and inspirations from South Africa’s beneficiation strategy and Indonesia which has a successful story on full beneficiation law on mineral resources. The paper will finally conclude by putting forward some recommendations.
Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
gm2015
Centre for Human Rights
LLM
Unrestricted

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, 1993.
Since the discovery of diamonds in South Africa, Government has played an active role in the establishment of a local processing industry, aimed at the adding of value to locally mined rough diamonds. This study evaluates the influence of Government support and regulation in the performance of South Africa's diamond industry. Statistics were supplied mainly by the South African Diamond Board, the Minerals Bureau and the departments of Finance, and Trade and Industry. Discussions with prominent diamantaires were also undertaken to contrast statutory reporting with informally sourced facis. South Africa's diamond industry undetperforms, particularly the processing industry which benefits from State support at the expense of the other diamond sectors. Government's indirect support of the processing sector cannot be justified in view of its dismal performance. The entire diamond industry should be deregulaled, and State involvement in the processing sector (with special emphasis on the taxation structure) re-evaluated.
GR 2016

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Lack of common understanding of corporate reputation in the diamond industry in South Africa has attracted a lot of interest in this aspect of the mining industry. The recent Marikana Massacre in the platinum belt in the Rustenburg area at Lonmin Mine in 2012, together with on-going debates on resource nationalisation and negative relations between mine communities and diamond mining companies have prompted the call for more research in reputation management in the mining industry in South Africa. The purpose of this research is to define the meaning of corporate reputation in the diamond industry, to understand key perceptions of the diamond industry, to identify key effects of corporate reputation in the diamond industry and to evaluate key management approaches to corporate reputation in the diamond industry from multi-stakeholder perspectives. Mixed methods research methodology was used in this study, comprising quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis. Key findings include that there is no one single definition of corporate reputation. Each stakeholder has his/her unique definition which is based on his/her own assessments of the organisation, the past and future actions of the corporation, and their experience and perception of the organisation. Poor relations between mine communities and diamond companies; prospects for the collapse of the Kimberley Process (KP); violent strikes; environmental issues, including rehabilitation of old mines; poverty and high unemployment in the mining communities; failure of BEE transactions in delivering real value to the mine employees and local communities; illegal mining; the rise of synthetic un-natural diamonds and negative perceptions of the diamond industry in South Africa are the current major challenges and risks affecting the diamond industry in South Africa. This study concludes that positive corporate reputation would result in improved investor confidence, higher levels of attracting and retaining top level talent in the organisation, improved attraction of customers, better relations with communities and improved stakeholder relations. The study did not find evidence proving that a positive reputation will result in higher prices for diamond products. It found that corporate reputation management initiatives in the diamond industry are not well understood and, as a result, they are not delivering the full results as expected. ii | P a g e Effective stakeholder relations management with a special focus on community engagement including youth groups’ involvement in the mining towns; targeted social investment programmes with special focus on enterprise development and effective management of industry perceptions are identified as the most critical steps to be adopted in the diamond industry in order to improve its reputation.
GR2018

Questionnaires translated into Shona
Mineral extraction is one of the key drivers of Africa’s economies and is also one of the largest industries in the world. In many African countries, including Zimbabwe, mining contributes to profound parts of the economy and remain the engine for economic growth. In recent years, and following the continual exploitation of minerals, mining companies have been scrutinized as a major cause of social, environmental, and economic problems faced mainly by communities at the margins. In this regard, mining companies are widely perceived to be prospering at the expense of adjacent communities, who are the primary recipients of the externalities, mainly negative, from mining operations. Due to incongruent stakeholder interests conflicts have erupted given the peculiar case of the extractive industries in Zimbabwe. Having realised the differences among stakeholder interests over minerals, in the extractive industry the study sought to answer this question: how is CCE understood by different stakeholders? And how is CCE measured by the same stakeholders?. The focus of the study is to evaluate the meaning of CCE from multiple stakeholders in the extractive industry in Zimbabwe; and to analyse how CCE is measured by identified stakeholders. In order to satisfy the stated objectives, the study employed mixed research method. This study revealed similarity in understanding of CCE and its usefulness amongst the different stakeholder groups. Of cognitive importance is the realisation by stakeholders on the need for proactive communities and corporate investment into community for effective partnerships. Collaboration, empowerment, inclusion, trust and organisation emerged to be the major facilitators for CCE. The study presents operative CCE according to the obligations and expectations of stakeholders. Having realised that mining industries are particularly susceptible to conflict between stakeholders, the study suggests proactive desire to mitigate these conflicts through CCE in the mining industry. In this respect, community development, peace and stability and strong economy are the major outcomes of effective CCE. The study recommends participation of resource owners in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation as well as dividends sharing of mining projects as advocated for by the CCE Model. It is also recommended that the adoption of the CCE Model will ensure a sustainable and harmonious coexistence between the predominantly capitalistic mining concerns and the resource owners and solve part of the current impasse to business and community development.
Business Management
D.B.L.

This article seeks to understand how a family enterprise was structured and positioned and grew into a successful global mining house. The focus is on how talent was managed drawing ontology from the mining industry founded in 1873 in South Africa by British and Dutch colonists. The founding families are those of Deidrick and Johannes De Beer, Alfred Beit, Cecil Rhodes, Nathaniel Rothschild and Ernest Oppenheimer. The De Beer brothers sold out to Cecil Rhodes and his partners and the business was, amalgamated later with Anglo American Corporation. The business arrangement continued for four generations under the direction of the Oppenheimer family who were apprenticed by excellent craftsmen in the diamond trade, and educated in finance economics and law from Europe's best business schools, and a conducive segregated political environment which ended in a US Supreme Court judgment in 2012. However, the Oppenheimers nurtured the mining house to a successful international mining business that employs more than 20 000 people around the world today.