The mining industry of Lesotho is mostly concentrated on
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
mining and as such the mining sector in the country has not played any significant role in furthering its economy. Apart from diamonds, the country's main mineral resources have been identified as base metals, clays, dimension stone, sand, gravel and uranium. The lack of initiative to extract other minerals commercially is mainly attributed to the inadequacy of infrastructure and finances.
Between 2000 and 2011, the percentage of GDP contributed by diamond mining to Lesothos economy rose from "virtually zero" to about 4%.
History
The mining of diamonds started in the country only in the later part of the 1950s. Mining licenses for diamonds from
Kao and
Liqhobong pipes were operated for a short period from 1959 till Lesotho's independence. Following the independence of the country, the mines were closed due to poor production.
[ In Lesotho's mining history, skilled artisans (known as Basotho diggers) have been extracting diamonds to a large extent under licenses issued in 1961 for the ]Letseng diamond mine
The Letšeng Diamond Mine, found in the landlocked Southern African kingdom of Lesotho, is owned by Gem Diamonds, Ltd. and the government of Lesotho, and at an elevation of 3,100 m (10,000 ft) it is the world's highest diamond m ...
, as well as Kolo
Kolo may refer to:
Places Poland
*Koło
*Koło, Łódź Voivodeship
* Koło, Lublin Voivodeship
* Koło, Lubusz Voivodeship
Other places
* Kolo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Kolo, Central African Republic
* Kolo (Tanzanian ward), Kondoa district, Dod ...
, Nqechane and Hololo areas, with a positive impact to the economy of the country. Extraction from the Letšeng diamond pipe, which started in 1968, was not productive and closed in the 1970s. However, these mines were restarted in 2000 and have proved to be productive.[
]
Production and impact
The production of minerals reported is mostly of diamonds, carried out on a commercial basis with international firms. Gem Diamonds of the UK has been an owner of the Letšeng Mine, situated in the Maluti Mountains
The Maloti Mountains are a mountain range of the highlands of the Kingdom of Lesotho. They extend for about 100 km into the South African Free State. The Maloti Range is part of the Drakensberg system that includes ranges across large area ...
(about elevation) is said to be the highest mine in the world. Firestone Diamonds Plc and Kopane Diamond Development Plc, both of the UK, have worked the Liqhobong mine. Lucara Diamond
Lucara Diamond Corp. is a diamond exploration and mining company, founded in 2009 by two Canadian mining executives, Eira Thomas, Catherine McLeod-Seltzer and Swedish-Canadian mining billionaire Lukas Lundin, operating in Southern Africa but esta ...
of Canada has worked the Mothae mine, while Namakwa Diamonds Ltd. of Bermuda started mining production at Kao mine
Kao may refer to:
Mythology
* Kao (bull), a supernatural divine bull in Meitei mythology, captured by Khuman Khamba
Places
* Käo, Saare County, Estonia, a village
* Käo, Tartu County, Estonia, a village
* Kao, Indonesia, a town
* Kao, Le ...
.Kimberlite
Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known to be the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond called the Star of ...
intrusion in northern Lesotho. These are reported as 405 kimberline bodies constituted by 30 pipes
Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to:
Objects
* Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules
** Piping, the use of pipes in industry
* Smoking pipe
** Tobacco pipe
* Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...
, 343 dykes, and 23 blows (dyke enlargements), which amounts to one Kimberlite body per area of the country. There are also smaller kimberlite bodies which are found in 1–2 ha areas.
Legal framework
The country has enacted many regulatory laws related to the mining sector, specifically to exploration and issuing of licenses and exports. These laws are; the Mines
and Minerals Act 2005; the Precious stones order 1970 on regulations of export, extraction, and all commercial rules related to rough diamonds; the Explosives Proclamation of 1958 (amended) and Mine Safety Act 1981. The country has accepted the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is the process established in 2003 to prevent "conflict diamonds" from entering the mainstream rough diamond market by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56 following recommendations in ...
.[
]
Commodities
Known mineral deposits in Lesotho include base metals, clay, diamond, dimension stone, sand, gravel, and uranium. Artisanal mining
An artisanal miner or small-scale miner (ASM) is a subsistence miner who is not officially employed by a mining company, but works independently, mining minerals using their own resources, usually by hand.
Small-scale mining includes enterprises ...
concerns of agate, clay, sand, gravel, and stone have occurred to a limited extent for internal consumption.[ Reserves of ]bituminous
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
shale and coal have also been identified.
References
Bibliography
*
{{Mining in Africa
Economy of Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...