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16
MODERN MINING
October 2016
MINING News
ASX-listed Kimberley Diamonds Ltd (KDL),
which operates the newly recommissioned
Lerala diamond mine in Botswana, has
announced that Noel Halgreen, previously
Managing Director of KDL, has resigned
from the board and will be leaving KDL
in six months after serving out his notice
period as a consultant.
Alex Alexander becomes Executive
Chairman during the transition stage,
while KDL searches for a new MD.
Brett Thompson, KDL’s current Chief
Technical Officer, has been appointed to
the newly created role of Chief Operating
Officer, and will be responsible for all min-
ing, operations and corporate functions of
the company and its Botswana subsidiary,
Lerala Diamond Mines Limited.
Thompson is a mining engineer with
over 30 years of operational, technical
and corporate management experience in
Africa, South America and Australia with
15 years in the diamond industry and sig-
nificant experience in coal, gold/silver and
base metals operations.
Prior to joining KDL in March 2015,
Thompson worked for five years with
Anglo American. Before this, he was the
CEO of AIM-listed diamond company,
Pangea DiamondFields, and has held
New management at Kimberley Diamonds
The process plant at the Lerala diamond mine in Botswana. The plant was recommissioned earlier this after a major
upgrade (photo: KDL).
senior positions with a number of other
diamond juniors operating in Africa.
He began his mining career as a gradu-
ate engineer at Mount Isa Mines before
moving to De Beers in South Africa in
1988 where he gained experience at
Koffiefontein Mine and the Namaqualand
Mines alongside a later stint as Assistant
General Manager at De Beers' Kimberley
Mines.
The management changes come at
a time when Lerala is struggling with its
ramp up. In its latest presentation on the
project, KDL reports that average daily
head feed has steadily increased over the
ramp-up phase and the
plant has proven capable
of operating at and above
its designed capacity of
200 t/h.
KDL nevertheless notes
that “operating the recom-
missioned plant for three
months has revealed
shortcomings in some pre-
existing elements of the
plant. This, combined with
the highly abrasive char-
acter of the internal waste
within the kimberlite ore,
has significantly impacted
the plant’s ability to oper-
ate at maximum capacity
on a consistent basis.”
KDL says it is hoping
to address these issues
over the next four months
and estimates the cost
of remedial measures at
A$1,57 million.
Finance facility for Kabwe tailings project secured
AIM-listed BMR Group, which is focused
on the recovery of lead and zinc from the
tailings deposits of Zambia’s oldest mine
at Kabwe, says that – in conjunction with
its subsidiary Enviro Mining Limited (EML)
– it has now entered into the anticipated
project construction and trade finance
facility for up to US$5,2 million with African
Compass International Limited (ACI). The lat-
ter is a private South African group engaged
in mining, energy and agri-business.
The facility provides that ACI will make
available to EML upon achievement of
various milestones – through to commis-
sioning of the Kabwe plant and proof of
saleable product – up to US$4,2 million for
use in connection with the plant, andmate-
rials processed, at Kabwe.
In addition, the facility provides for
the drawdown of US$1,0 million to sat-
isfy the consideration payable to exercise
the option agreement with Bushbuck
Resources Limited for the acquisition of its
Star Zinc Large Scale Prospecting Licence
19653-HQ-LPL in Zambia, as announced on
16 August 2016.
Alex Borrelli, Chairman of BMR, com-
mented: “This facility represents a defining
moment for the company as the financing
has underpinned our planned cost of the
plant at Kabwe. We are pleased to have
delivered this facility for the benefit of
our shareholders who have supported the
management team in our endeavours for
processing the Kabwe tailings. The facility
also provides us with the funding necessary
for exercising the option agreement on the
Star Zinc licence. Our continuing progress
on our schedule of works at Kabwe remains
in line for completing the plant construc-
tion for commissioning in 2017.”