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1967 1 March: De Beers geologists discover Botswana’s first diamondiferous kimberlite (2125 B/K1) in the Orapa/Letlhakane area. 25 April: The same team discovers Kimberlite 2125 A/K1 at Orapa, later to become Orapa Diamond Mine. 1968 - 1972 Damtshaa pipes discovered by De Beers geologists (B/K9 and B/K12), to become Damtshaa Mine in 2003. 1969 Letlhakane D/K1 and D/K2 discovered in June, to become Letlhakane Mine in 1977. 23 June: De Beers Botswana Mining Company (Pty) Limited formed. 1971 March: Discovery of diamondiferous kimberlite pipes D/K2 and D/K7 at Jwaneng. 1 July: Orapa Mine officially opened by President Sir Seretse Khama. 1973 Main Mall Head Office (Debswana House) constructed. 1977 Commencement of production at Letlhakane Mine. 1982 14 August: Jwaneng Mine is officially opened by President, Ketumile Masire. The BDVC sorting facility, Orapa House, opens in Gaborone. 1989 Jwaneng Recrush plant commissioned. 1996 Diamond demand: Debswana agrees to double production at Orapa. 1997 24-hour continuous mining operations (Contops) commence at Debswana operations. 2000 Commissioning of Jwaneng Mine’s Aquarium as the world’s first fully automated recovery and sorthouse. 2000 Orapa 2000 expansion: Official opening of Number 2 plant by President, Festus Mogae and De Beers Chairman, Nicky Oppenheimer. 2001 Botswana Government increases its global stake in De Beers from 5% to 15%. Debswana becomes the first company in the world to provide free anti-retroviral treatment to employees. 2002 Damtshaa Mine commissioned. 2003 25 October: Damtshaa Mine officially opened by President, Festus Mogae. 2010 16 December: Launch of Jwaneng Mine’s Cut 8 Project by President Seretse Khama Ian Khama. 2016 Botswana 50 years of independence celebrations. 2014 Debswana celebrates 45 years of existence. BOTSWANA’S DIAMOND STORY DREAMS INTO REALITY At independence, Botswana was one of the world’s poorest countries and many envisioned our future as bleak. Deep down below the earth’s crust lay a fortune that would transform a nation. In 1969, Debswana Diamond Company, then known as De Beers Botswana Mining Company, was formed. When we celebrated 50 years of independence, we also celebrated how diamonds have transformed our economy and continue to turn our nation’s dreams into lasting reality. OUR MINES The search for diamonds in Botswana began in the Tuli Block in 1955 and by 1967, a diamond pipe was found at Orapa. From here, our diamond footprint expanded with more mines – Letlhakane, Jwaneng and Damtshaa. Today, Jwaneng prides itself as the richest diamond mine in the world by value, while Orapa mine is among the world’s largest diamond producers by volume. LEADERSHIP At the heart of this remarkable diamond story is Botswana’s visionary leadership. Our forefathers secured us the British Protectorate and our post independence leadership ensured that the revenues from diamonds benefit the entire nation. HEALTH A diamond is a precious stone; a symbol of the many values we hold dearly, including that of love. Through the revenue from diamonds, our government was able to establish healthcare facilities and hospitals countrywide. Debswana operates two COHSASA accredited health facilities one each at Orapa and Jwaneng. The diamond mining industry is a leading sector for Botswana’s income revenue generation and these precious stones continue to fly our flag high internationally. We celebrated 47 years of Debswana along with the jubilations of Botswana’s own 50th Independence anniversary. 1992 25 March: The De Beers Botswana Diamond Company is renamed “Debswana Diamond Company”. DEBSWANA’S MILESTONES
