South African diamond miner De Beers on Thursday cautioned that theft at its Premier Mine at Cullinan could threaten the future of the operation and jeopardise jobs.
This comes after arrests were made by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Metsweding region east of Pretoria on Thursday to counter the theft and illicit trading in diamonds.
De Beers stated that it is understood that amongst those arrested during the SAPS operation were two Premier Mine employees. Other employees might be suspended as a result of the ongoing investigations.
While the diamond miner welcomed the arrests, it said that these criminal activities might well impact on its Premier Mine.
“Depending on prevailing economic circumstances Premier Mine at times operates on very tight margins. The mine, which is 100 years old, remains open through a skilful combination of investment by De Beers underpinned by productive cooperation between mine management and employees,” said Premier Mine GM Hans Gastrow.
“We are in the process of re-evaluating the mine’s main deposit and the older mine dumps to determine the viability of the remaining ore resources. Theft from the mine on any scale could have a seriously negative effect on the future of the operations. This, in turn, could have a very unfortunate impact on the employees of the mine and on the local communities around the mine.”
According to the SAPS the arrests have led to the recovery of a quantity of diamonds, the value of which is as yet undetermined. It is understood that the police investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected. – I-Net Bridge