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De Beers’ Namibian unit to close four mines – report

31 october 2017
De Beers’ joint venture company in Namibia, Namdeb, is set to close four mines by 2022 in the country.
Reuters, citing a local newspaper, reports that the mines affected were Elizabeth Bay Mine, which would be shut down at the end of 2018, Daberas at the end of 2019, Sendelingsdrift in 2020 and the main one, Southern Coastal, in 2022.
Mineworkers Union of Namibia Oranjemund branch chairperson Mbidhi Shavuka said that the union would talk to Namdeb to keep workers employed for as long as possible.
“We also understand that it is the nature of the resource; diamonds are finite,” he was quoted as saying.
Namdeb’s spokesperson, Pauline Thomas, declined comment on the matter.
Namdeb improved its output 12 percent to 500 000 carats during the third quarter of the year mainly as a result of higher mining rates from Debmarine Namibia’s Mafuta vessel.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished