The consortium has received a prospecting licence for the diamond-rich Dokowayo kimberlites in Eswatini. Credit: RTimages via Shutterstock.com.

A consortium named Diamonds of Eswatini has received a prospecting licence for the diamond-rich Dokowayo kimberlites in Eswatini, stated Botswana Diamonds (BOD).

BOD holds a 30% interest in Diamonds of Eswatini. Other stakeholders include Michelo Shakantu with a 15% stake and Conros, owned by the Chandaria family, with a 5% interest.

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The Eswatini Government and King Mswati each hold a 25% stake in the venture.

The awarded prospecting licence covers an area of just under 4,000ha and is valid for an initial period of one year, with the option to renew for a further year.

It includes at least two kimberlite pipes and three dykes, with the largest pipe, K1, measuring around 600m in diameter.

This pipe was previously mined by Transhex from 1986 to 1996, yielding 720,222 carats of diamonds, including fancy pink and Type IIA diamonds, with the largest stone weighing 146 carats.

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In addition to the kimberlite pipes, the site contains significant tailings dumps and a stockpile of unprocessed kimberlite.

Internal estimates suggest that the kimberlite resource contains more than ten million tonnes (mt) to a depth of 200m, while the dumps are estimated to hold an additional 2mt.

The consortium’s immediate plan is to conduct an updated full desktop review and analysis of secondary sources, followed by bulk sampling of the dumps and kimberlite stockpile.

BOD chairperson John Teeling said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this prospecting licence over the Dokowayo kimberlite pipe in Eswatini, which we applied for several years ago.

“The pipe was last mined a long time ago and following breakthroughs in both exploration and mining technology we are excited about Dokowayo’s potential viability, especially seeing that Dokowayo is proven to contain both pink and Type IIA diamonds, which are greatly in demand and fetch amongst the very highest of diamond prices.”