The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world, and also the second largest in the world. It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines", and is located in south-central Botswana about southwest of the city of Gaborone.
Jwaneng means "a place of gems", and "where a small stone is found" in Setswana. The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana. It commenced operations in 1982.
The mine owns and operates the local Jwaneng Mine Hospital, Acacia Primary School, and Jwaneng Airport. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000.
History
Discovery and early exploration In the early 1970s, extensive geological surveys by De Beers Exploration led to the identification of the Jwaneng deposit in February 1973, and after 9 years of evaluation and construction it became fully operational in 1982. In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined. In 2023, it produced 13.3 million carats of diamonds.
Development and construction
Major expansions
Timeline of discovery
+YearActivityGeologist(s)DiscoveryNoteReference1962Road reconnaissanceJim Gibson and Jim PlattBarren samplesn/a1963No activity196419651966196719681969Reconnaissance soil samplingMike Whateley, Keith Huxham and othersFirst kimberlite indicator material recoveries, confirmed by DRL1970Detailed soil samplingMike Whateley and Bruce LynnProgressive kimberlite indicator material spatial distribution resultsn/a1971Detailed grid loaming1972Ground magnetics and gravity/drillingPeter Bickerstaff2424D/K1Detailed soil sampling/detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drillingStuart Vercoe and Norman Lock2424D/K219731974Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling/airborne magneticsStuart Vercoe and others2424KD/K3 and 2424KD/K41975Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling2424D/K5 and 2424KD/K619762424D/K719772424D/K8
Geology The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field. In the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe," a volcanic crater formed during the Permian period. The mine consists of three kimberlite pipes. Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities and manufacturing facilities.
Economic impact Employment The mine employs more than 2,500 people as of 2024. A major project aims to extend production at Jwaneng by creating around 4,500 jobs or more a year, and is expected to contribute more than US$25 billion to Botswana’s economy. This project also plans on increasing the mine's depth from 400 meters to 650 meters.
Notes
References Footnotes
Sources