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South Africa

Finsch Mine

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Finsch Mine

Location: 36 km E from Postmasburg, South Africa

Regional Office:

Silver Point Office Park, Block 3, 22 Ealing Crescent, Bryanston, 2021
P.O. Box 71007
Johannesburg
South Africa
2021

Contacts:

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Diamond
Mining Method
  • Sub-level caving
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotFinsch Mine is recognised for its production of highly commercial diamonds over five carats, along with rich gem-quality smaller stones and rare fancy yellow diamonds.

During FY2025, mining advanced into Lower Block 5 on levels 86 and 88, with production expected to stabilise further as ramp-up continues and coarser stones are recovered. Development projects faced temporary delays due to adverse ground conditions on level 86, where additional ground support was required, though these are not anticipated to impact FY2026 performance.

The current mine plan supports operations through FY2037, with opportunities for further extension into the late 2030s. Ongoing studies include the completion of the deferred 86–90L 3L-SLC project and assessment of the South-West Precursor area, which could provide additional future mining potential.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of South Africa 21.6 % Indirect
Petra Diamonds Ltd. 78.4 % Indirect
Petra Diamonds holds a 74% interest in Finsch Diamond Mine (Pty) Ltd, while the remaining 26% is split between two entities: the Itumeleng Petra Diamonds Employee Trust (IPDET), which holds a 12% stake, and Kago Diamonds, which holds 14%. Petra Diamonds has a 31.46% interest in Kago Diamonds through its commercial B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) partners.

Contractors

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SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Kimberlite

Summary:

Finsch has an age of 118 ± 2.8 Ma (Smith et al., 1985), and is a Group-2 kimberlite (Smith, 1983a; Fraser and Hawkesworth, 1992). The geology of Finsch Mine in the open-pit and on the 348 m underground sampling level was described by Clement (1982). The pipe was emplaced through a thick sequence of Proterozoic, Griqualand West sequence sedimentary rocks comprising dolomites, banded iron formation and shales. Preserved within the pipe are large fragments of Karoo-aged sediments, lavas and dolerite which were clearly present at the time of emplacement, but have been subsequently eroded away.

Clement defined eight kimberlite varieties in the mine which he called F1–F8. F1 was described as being the most significant volumetrically and was classified as a diatreme-facies TKB. This variety hosted numerous very large blocks of down rafted Karoo basalt lava and sedimentary rocks. The F5 variety was also described as TKB, but occurred within a satellite portion of the pipe called “the precursor”. The other varieties were classified as hypabyssal kimberlite or kimberlite breccia.

Exploration of deeper levels of the mine found that the F8 variety increased in size with depth, and that the lithiccontent of the F1 declined with depth. Mapping of deeper levels has also revealed the presence of steeply dipping bedding planes within both the F1 and F8 varieties. Ekkerd et al. suggested that the F1 and F8 could be the same kimberlite, varying only in lithic content and alteration.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Water usage

Parameter202520242023202220212020
Surface water 976,910 m3498,495 m3709,041 m3
Groundwater 1,557,622 m31,448,315 m3
Third-party water 401,072 m3608,859 m3411,061 m3
Recycled water 2,076,800 m31,367,700 m32,546,010 m31,900,630 m3
Water use efficiency 1.34 m3/t1.21 m3/t0.98 m3/t0.94 m3/t1.07 m3/t1.09 m3/t
Fresh water 2,419,140 m3

Commodity Production

CommodityProductUnits20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Diamond Crystals k carats  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Diamond Mineral k carats  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,7562,0732,1502,2142,066
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,297,047 t3,879,368 t4,863,258 t5,843,716 t5,672,856 t
Annual ore mining capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Operating Costs

Currency202420232022202120202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Mine Financials

Units202520242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 24.1   54   85.6  
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 9.1   7.7   9.1  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 170.2   231.9   216.7  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -37.8   68   101.7  
Operating Cash Flow M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 10, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 10, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 10, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2025
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Aerial view:

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