Our Operations
Bloodless Diamonds Operations
It all started when Mat Roux Senior acquired the mine Elandsputte in the last century. Daan is Mat’s son and has mined in the area for more than 50 years. He has seen Pienaars pothole on the Diamond Lakes mine been mined by draining the water on a continuous basis and also through using conventional earthmoving equipment through to the use of a dredger with suction pump brought up from the West Coast Marine waters. There has been large areas of virgin diamond gravel on the mine Mat Roux and Sons and Diamond Lakes that have been inaccessible for almost a century of diamonds having been discovered in the area. This was traditionally the richest alluvial diamond run of the last century. An incredible amount of diamonds are recorded to have been recovered from the area and there is still an enormous amount of insitu diamond bearing gravel. Although there are large areas of relatively superficial gravel on both mines, the intrigue of these previously untouched areas are what inspired Daan to design and develop the Dredger Project.
The Dredger runs on electricity and accesses submerged diamond bearing gravels through buoyancy manipulation. The diamond bearing gravel is then processed through the actual piping system using water pressure and physics with the final concentrate being pumped directly into the final Xray sorting machine where the diamonds are recovered and secured in a double lock strongbox. The process is revolutionary in that it does away with expensive, and heavy diesel consuming, earth moving equipment, and is capable of being run entirely on renewable energy. Although variants of this technology exists in the marine diamond industries, ours is the first of its kind development in a non-coastal, non-river environment. There are no chemicals used and the water is clean after the process. The Rehabilitation of any areas mined will be done with a structured vision to develop a pristine wetland habitat with no evidence of mining once the resource has been recovered.
MAT ROUX AND SONS DIAMOND MINING 2021
On the Mat Roux and Sond Diamond Mine, after the shutdown caused by the covid 19 pandemic, operations are finally restarting. The rich high quality Manganese deposits to the South of the mine have a contractor on site and they are in the process of setting up and soon to increase production to a sustainable exportable quantity of high grade manganese.
The Dredger Project has gone from an idea to actual working model in 5 years. It has not only made previous technically and logistically difficult virgin diamond gravels on the mine, to now be accessible, but to also be able to recover the diamonds without the use of any chemicals except electricity, and replacing a previous high diesel consuming industry with a complete electricity driven option that could run off a mini-solar grid on the mine. The crowd funding capital raise for Diamond Lakes entails developing a larger, more efficient dredger to mine the base of the Legendary Pienaars Pothole.
RUIGETLAAGTE TO SHENANDOAH TO ESROUX TO DIAMOND LAKES
Diamond Lakes is situated on the farms Ruigtelaagte and Welverdiend and measures 99 hectares. In-depth surveys by the current owners, as well as other independent companies, show tremendous potential for this site. Prospecting activities undertaken by Newmont SA and Transhex established that, for selected areas, a grade as high as 500Ct per 100 ton could be achieved. [Ref Southern African Geophysical Review. 1(1995) p69]. Five so-called potholes occur on this site, three of which are Pienaars Pothole (82Ct/100t), Gravitate (20Ct/100t) and S1 (20Ct/100t). These grades were indicated by Ransome Consulting and verified by Ulysses International Resources Ltd. Diamond Lakes is one of the few sites worldwide where red, purple and pink diamonds are documented to have been found.
THE BETTER LIFE DIAMOND MINE
This project is being developed as a unique model based on socially sound principles that will empower and benefit the local community by funding education and social development and generate revenue for the local communities as well as the mines equity holders.
WOODPECKERS PETAUKE PROJECT IN ZAMBIA
This is a greenfield project with a large-scale Exploration Licenses for Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Graphite, Iron Ore, Limestone and Titanium in one of the most geologically rich mining areas in Southern Africa. Bloodless Diamonds Africa and the Woodpeckers Group have worked together for several years and will continue assisting each other in the development of their respective mining projects. There will be several rural scholar projects that will start in Zambia as a consequence of this relationship and funded as part of mining social development projects. The Bloodless Diamonds Group will provide access to legal advice and representation to the Woodpeckers Group and to artisanal miners in a bid to harmonize any conflicting rights to the land under the exploration licence.
WOODPECKERS KAOMA-LUKULU PROJECT IN CENTRAL ZAMBIA
Large scale exploration licence for Aluminium, Clay, Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Manganese and Zinc. The Bloodless Diamonds Group will provide access to legal advice and representation to the Woodpeckers Group and to artisanal miners in a bid to harmonize any conflicting rights to the land under the exploration licence.