Rough & Polished reported mid-last year, citing the Kommersant newspaper, that the Russian diamond giant, Alrosa was planning to set up ventures in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
We also reported at the time that Alrosa was looking for a partner in Zimbabwe to set up a joint venture for the geological exploration of diamond-rich areas in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields.
Shortly after these reports Alrosa established its joint venture company with Botswana Diamonds called Sunland Minerals, which is operating an exploration programme on PL117 in Orapa.
The JV was currently carrying out a detailed ground geophysics programme in the area of anomaly AN117-1 to target drill sites.
Their geologists were also carrying out a widespread geophysics and ground sampling programme on the company’s licences PL206-PL210.
Botswana Diamonds announced early October that Sunland had already discovered kimberlite type material in two of the holes drilled.
The company said that two holes were drilled on each of two anomalies AN117/1 and AN117/2.
“The discovery of kimberlite type material in holes 3 and 4 is very encouraging,” said Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling.
“This is the first time that Alrosa exploration technology has been applied in Botswana and these results support its use. We will now refine the model.”
The exploration programme was ongoing.
With Alrosa now actively involved in Botswana’s Orapa, it was also interesting to hear that the diamond giant was set to prospect for precious stones in Zimbabwe with DTZ-OZGEO, a Zimbabwe-Russia joint venture company.
Currently diamonds were being mined in the south of the country by private company River Ranch, in central Zimbabwe by Rio Tinto and in the eastern Marange area.
Reuters quoted Russia's trade and industry minister Denis Manturov as saying last month that Alrosa and DTZ-OZGEO would prospect for diamonds throughout Zimbabwe.
There is no doubt that Alrosa’s technology would help Zimbabwe find more diamond deposits at a time output was nose-diving in Marange.
The International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations said Zimbabwe’s industrial diamond exports tumbled to $188 million in 2013 from about $658 million in the previous year.
The report attributed the decline to weakening demand from the United Arab Emirates, China and Belgium as miners in Marange scaled down operations due to fast-running out alluvials on their concessions.
However, with Alrosa stepping into the country, there is hope.
Teeling said the Russians’ technology and computer programmes can refine data that is available from geophysics and geochem.
He said Alrosa’s sophisticated exploration technology had previously helped it discover 17 hard-rock diamond mines in Siberia.
“These guys (ALROSA) will find things below 100 metres and it is completely a new territory. This opens up a vista of multiple new mines and these guys have proven that they can do it,” he said.
Alrosa, according to a report released last February by Dowgate Capital Stockbrokers, has developed various techniques and adapted existing methods to locate diamond bearing rock up to 200 metres beneath the thick Siberian tundra overburden.
It is the world’s largest diamond production company by volume and in 2012 it accounted for around 25 percent of global diamond production in terms of value.
Reports in some sections of the Zimbabwean media that sought to rubbish deals between Zimbabwe and Russia, are surely mischievous or borders on naked ignorance.
A simple google search can reveal the activities the company is involved in Angola and Botswana, which are both success diamond stories on the African continent.
To the so-called political analysts, a deal involving the Russians is not clean, yet some countries are opening their arms to Alrosa and results are there to see even for the blind.
That said, there is no doubt that Zimbabwe, which hasn’t done any significant diamond exploration, will immensely benefit from Alrosa’s activities in the country as it seeks to consolidate its position as one of the leading diamond produces around the globe.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
