BOTSWANA – A diamond mine in Botswana will be offered for sale at an online auction after its liquidators failed to secure viable offers.
Online bids for the Lerala Diamond Mine open at 17:00 on May 24 and run through 14:00 on May 30, according to a statement published in the weekly Monitor newspaper by the auctioneers, GoIndustry DoveBid.
Lerala, which is owned by Sydney-based Kimberley Diamonds, was placed under judicial management in June last year due to weak sales and high operating costs. Lerala produced about 59 000 ct in the year leading up to its closure, compared with a published target of 357 000 ct/y, over a seven-year lifespan.
On offer are five kimberlite pipes ranging from 0.16 ha to 2.35 ha in area, mining rights, a 200 t/h processing plant, a 4.2 MW diesel generator and other assets. Bidders are required to place a refundable deposit of 5-million pula ($509 000).
The mine has probable reserves of five-million tons at a grade of 31 carats per 100 tons and inferred resources of 10.3-million tons at 31 carats per 100 tons.