Heritage Cases

Because the scope of this application is to do: geological surveys, test pits and to do bulk sampling, it is required that a NEMA EMPr to be submitted. The prospecting will first be done to confirm the presence of the applied minerals: Alluvial Diamonds (DA). The prospecting methods as described in the Prospecting Works Programme (PWP) will have started with geological surveys and test pits under the existing prospecting right and there after bulk sampling will be done to define the area where economical viable mining can be done if the reserve proof to exist. The area is characterized as being a rural area mostly under natural vegetation, used as natural grazing by the landowners. There are no active cultivated fields; it looks as if all have been withdrawn from cultivation. The central part of the application has been disturbed by mining activities, which can clearly be seen on the Google Earth Images since before 2010.The scope of the prospecting activities will entail that prospecting will be done in two phases namely: Phase 1 – Test pits: In Phase 1 test pits will be made (1 m x 2 m x ± 2m deep), on a grid of 100 x 100meters and where necessary on a 50 x 50 meters grid where the gravel outcrops. This test pits are made with a 30 ton excavator, to determine if any diamond bearing gravel does occur. This test pits will be closed up immediately before the excavator move on to the next one and Phase 2 - In order to determine if the gravel does have diamonds the gravel needs to be taken out and tested, by putting it through the washing process. Trenching will be used to open the gravel in order to get a representative sample for testing. The trenches will be 6 x 60 x ± 2 m (deep). In one trench ± 540m³ (864ton) gravel will be exposed and tested with a 14 feet washing pan at a rate of 6m³ (10 ton) an hour. The total prospecting area is 1570 hectares, thus it is anticipated that a total of 5 000m³ (8 000ton) will be tested by making trenches on different locations over the whole prospecting area, where the possibility of diamond bearing gravel were identified with the test pits. Taken at an 8 hour working day, 5 days a week and 20 days a month, the applicant will be able to process 960m³ a month.