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Lesotho
Letseng Mine

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 Location:
136 km NE from Maseru, Lesotho

  Address:
Letšeng la Terai Mine
Mokhotlong
Lesotho
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Diamond
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start...
Mine Life2037


Owners

Source: p. 5
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho 30 % Indirect
Gem Diamonds Ltd. 70 % Indirect
Letseng Diamonds (PTY) Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Letšeng Diamonds is 70% owned by Gem Diamonds Limited and 30% owned by the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho with a lease period until 2029, with an exclusive option to renew until 2039.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Kimberlite


Summary:

Letšeng's pipes are primary vertical kimberlite pipes. Such kimberlite pipes are characteristically carrot shaped in section and comprise volatile-rich, potassic, ultrabasic igneous rock. Kimberlite has an inequigranular texture which results from phenocrysts and xenoliths being set in a fine-grained matrix.

Letšeng consists of two kimberlite pipes, namely the Main Pipe and the Satellite Pipe. The pipes are hosted in unweathered basaltic lavas. Prior to mining, both pipes consisted of the following features, listed from surface to depth:

- a superficial upper organic layer of black cotton-soil, or sponge, with a thickness of less than 1.0m;
- a leached gravel, which either consists of a brown basaltic overwash (<5.0m thick on the Satellite Pipe and poorly developed on the Main Pipe) or a widespread leached white gravel. The white gravel in the immediate vicinity of the pipes carries kimberlitic heavy minerals;
- a soft, clayey, weathered and oxidised yellow-brown kimberlite known as “yellow ground”. It is typically 2.5m thick and contains many heavily weathered basalt xenoliths; and
- a soft blue-green, partially weathered kimberlite commonly known as “blue ground”. It is at least 20m thick on the Main Pipe, with the degree of weathering decreasing with depth. On the Satellite Pipe, the weathered kimberlite is 15m thick in the south, but very thin or absent in the north, with a relatively sharp lower contact with fresh (hard) kimberlite.< ........


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

The two pipes, termed Main Pipe and Satellite Pipe, were originally 17 hectares and 6.5 hectares in surface area respectively before mining. The pits excavated into these pipes are now approximately 120 metres deep.

The two kimberlite pipes are mined using conventional open-pit mining techniques on a split shell design. The split shell concept was adopted to optimise waste stripping and enhance cash-flow. Major mining activities except blasting are outsourced to contracting companies. Drilling is done with Atlas Copco Rock L8 & L6 machines. The mine employs a mixed loading and hauling fleet comprising CAT 385C and CAT 390D excavators, together with CAT 777 rigid dump trucks for hauling waste and CAT 745 articulated dump trucks for hauling ore. The mixed fleet results from different ore and waste profiles during different stages of mine development.


Crushing and Grinding
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Processing

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Summary:

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Production:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Diamond carats  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required126,875108,513108,206108,579
All production numbers are expressed as mineral.
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Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required6,297,805 t6,139,077 t6,717,905 t6,694,753 t
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required24 Mt25,809,076 t29,718,985 t29,776,058 t
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required6,707,791 t6,532,596 t6,439,299 t6,646,098 t
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required7 Mt6.6 Mt6.6 Mt
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Reserves at January 1, 2015:
No additional resources and reserves have been added since the last update carried out by Venmyn Deloitte in 2015.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained carats
Probable 137.2 Mt Diamond 1.75 cpht 2.4 M carats
Indicated 179.2 Mt Diamond 1.75 cpht 3.14 M carats
Inferred 105.9 Mt Diamond 1.71 cpht 1.81 M carats
Total Resource 285.1 Mt Diamond 1.74 cpht 4.95 M carats

Operating Costs:

Units2021202020192018201720162015
Direct operating costs ($/t milled) USD 13.612.212.513.811.210.711.4
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units202120202019201820172016
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 101.9   99.5   78  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 262.6   201.5   184.9  
Operating Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 88.8   53.3   64.4  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 89.6   51.8   65.1  
After-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
EBITDA M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 95.6  
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Pipelines
TypeMaterialDiameterLengthDescription


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of November 25, 2020:
HME TypeModelQuantityLeased or
Contractor
Drill (blasthole) ....................... Subscription required Leased
Drill (blasthole) ....................... Subscription required Leased
Excavator ....................... Subscription required Leased
Excavator ....................... Subscription required Leased
Truck (dump) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
Truck (dump) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
Truck (dump) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
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Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 24, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 24, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 24, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 24, 2022
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Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2020
Subscription required 2019
Subscription required 2018

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Report 2018
Annual Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Annual Report 2015
Annual Report 2014
Technical Report 2011
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