Mining Intelligence and News
Botswana

Orapa Operation

Click for more information
Australia

Orapa Operation

Location: 24 km NW from Letlhakane, Botswana

Address:

Private Bag 001
Orapa
Botswana

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusTemporary Suspension
Commodities
  • Diamond
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotOrapa Operation includes Orapa, Letlhakane, and Damtshaa mines. Orapa is one of the largest resources, in terms of total carats. Orapa Mine is the biggest open-cast mine in the world.

The Damtshaa mine was placed on care and maintenance at the end of the first quarter of 2021. Studies are under way to determine the optimal future business strategy.

Open-pit operations at Letlhakane Mine ceased as planned in 2017. The modular plant for processing of tailings has been completed and is now operational.

The plant is a world-class facility specifically designed and constituted with mining and treatment solutions that ensure optimal economic recovery of diamonds.

On June 6, 2025, Debswana temporarily paused production at Jwaneng Cut 9 and Orapa mines, after suspending operations at its Letlhakane tailing plant and Jwaneng Modular plant in April.
Latest NewsBotswana's Debswana curbs diamond production as weak demand persists     June 6, 2025
Related AssetsDamtshaa Mine, Letlhakane Mine

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Anglo American plc. 42.5 % Indirect
Government of the Republic of Botswana (GRB) 57.5 % Indirect
Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Ltd (operator) 100 % Direct
Anglo American owns 85% of De Beers, the world’s leading diamond company. The remaining 15% of De Beers is owned by the Government of the Republic of Botswana (GRB).

Debswana is a joint venture between the government of Botswana and the South African diamond company De Beers; each party owns 50% of the company.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Kimberlite
  • Tailings

Summary:

All of the subject Properties lie within the Orapa kimberlite cluster on the southwestern edge of the Zimbabwe Craton of Southern Africa with a stable, cool cratonic setting favourable for the intrusion of diamondiferous kimberlite and associated alluvial deposits. The Orapa cluster, comprising approximately 60 known pipes and dykes is located in north-eastern Botswana, east of the Kalahari sub-basin. During the late-Cretaceous epoch (~93 Ma), the Orapa kimberlites were erupted through deformed Archaean basement overlain by volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup. The pipes are located near to the contact between the Archaean Limpopo belt and Zimbabwe craton which forms the suture zone with the Kaapvaal craton. The Limpopo belt (3500 – 2500 Ma) consists of complex metamorphic terrains composed of gneissic, granitic and metasedimentary rocks.

The kimberlite pipes located within these mining licences form part of the Cretaceous-aged (144–65 Ma) Orapa Kimberlite Cluster. These kimberlites were emplaced through the complete sequence of local equivalents of the Karoo Supergroup rocks, which overlie rocks of the early Proterozoic Magondi Mobile Belt. The latter have been thrust over the western edge of the Kaapvaal Craton, based on xenolith studies from Orapa and Letlhakane. The cratonic rocks in this area are comprised of Archaean-aged tonalitic gneiss. The Karoo Stormberg basalt at the top of the Karoo Supergroup is overlain by a thin cover of the Kalahari sands.

The larger kimberlite bodies are typically steep-sided, carrotshaped diatremes, but there are many examples of magmatic kimberlite plugs and small intrusions that terminate at the base of the basalt, or which have been emplaced through the basalt as small dykes. The kimberlite bodies consist of several texturally distinct phases of kimberlite, varying from volcaniclastic to pyroclastic to hypabyssal kimberlite. The kimberlites at Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa are all monogenetic (multi-vent) volcanoes.

The kimberlite bodies consist of several texturally distinct phases of kimberlite in which the textures vary from volcaniclastic kimberlite, pyroclastic kimberlite to hypabyssal kimberlite. The kimberlites at Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa are all monogenetic (multi-vent) volcanoes.

Letlhakane mine: Tailings Mineral Resource is coarse processed kimberlite discarded from the ore processing plant. Old Recovery Tailings are heavy minerals discarded from the recovery section of the ore processing plant.

The Orapa kimberlites are characterized by being high up in the volcanic crater area and having had to break through the extensive Karoo-aged basaltic lava flows to reach the surface. The kimberlites are often small in surface area but swell out below the basalts to be much larger than their surface expression suggests. The kimberlites often contain large quantities of fragmented basalt in their upper parts.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.


AV - Autonomous

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Diamond k carats  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe10,79212,23610,1857,9319,877
All production numbers are expressed as mineral.

Operational metrics

Metrics2022202120202019
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe9.1 Mt
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe46.3 Mt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe14.9 Mt

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 14, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 14, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 14, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 14, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.