Lucapa Diamond is now working three shifts a day at its 40%-owned Lulo alluvial diamond mine, in Angola as its operations are now back up and running.
The company had slowed its operations in Angola after the government had introduced a lockdown in March to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lucapa’s 75%-owned Mothae mine in Lesotho is still mothballed.
Company chairperson Miles Kennedy told shareholders that no cases of Covid-19 had been recorded at its operations, although the borders of both Angola and Lesotho remain largely closed at this stage.
This has seen its foreign workers on site since December 2019 unable to leave because of border closures. “They have experienced worrying times especially when supplies became critically low, but throughout this they kept the plant and infrastructure in excellent condition and continued the kimberlite exploration activities as best they could,” said Kennedy. He said Lucapa had completely revised and re-planned the future mining operations at Mothae, catering for a world of softer diamond prices.
Kennedy also said the company was in advanced discussions with the Lesotho government over a marketing proposal.
“We hope to be able to re-open Mothae as soon as possible to show Mothae’s value,” he said.
The company chairperson said diamond sales in Hong Kong and China are now above pre-pandemic levels especially in the top end diamonds.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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