Worker Killed at De Beers Mine in Botswana

De Beers Jwaneng Mine image

One worker has been killed at Debswana’s Jwaneng mine in Botswana following an incident involving a crane and a drill rig. 

An employee of one of Debswana’s business partners suffered a fatal injury on Monday morning, the 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the Botswana government said in a statement Tuesday.  

An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing, and relevant stakeholders will be updated accordingly, the statement continued. 

“Debswana is providing full support to the family, and we kindly request that they be accorded due respect and privacy during this difficult time,” it added. 

The case is the first fatality at a De Beers mine since 2022, a spokesperson for the company confirmed. However, a road accident in September 2023 killed around 20 employees of De Beers’ Venetia mine in South Africa. 

Three fatalities occurred at De Beers operations in 2018, none between 2019 and 2021, and one in 2022, according to a presentation the miner gave at the JCK Las Vegas show last month. 

The Jwaneng open-pit mine is De Beers’ richest diamond project, contributing around 2.5 million carats of De Beers’ global total of 6.9 million carats in the first quarter of this year.   

Image: The Jwaneng mine in Botswana. (De Beers)

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Worker Killed at De Beers Mine in Botswana

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