NAMDEB DIAMOND MINE
The NAMDEB diamond mine is located at the mouth of the Orange River on the Namibian side. The name originates from a joint venture between Namibia and De Beers and the mine is one of the largest mines of its type where alluvial diamonds are recovered from the ocean floor.
In order to retrieve the diamonds from the ocean floor, the ocean is pushed back by several kilometers using large earth moving equipment. The sand is then removed to a depth of about 100m below which is a thin layer of conglomerate covering the base rock which is generally volcanic in origin. The diamonds tend to be located in the last metre or two of sand as well as the conglomerate layer. The sand is taken to the processing plant for screening while the conglomerate is crushed, after which it is also processed to identify the diamonds. Most of the diamonds found are of very high quality and suitable for the jewelry industry.
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Diamond theft is a major problem at the mine and to minimise the loss of diamonds, the whole diamond mining area is restricted to mine employees and no visitors to the area are permitted without obtaining permission in advance. The town of Oranjemund is located on the north bank of the Orange River at the river mouth and is a self contained and self sufficient community which until recently received most of its supplies by ship to minimise the risk of diamond smuggling. The security controls have now been relaxed to some extent with the result that visitors are now tolerated and even encouraged in some cases.
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The area of land extending approximately 80 km inland and 100 km north is known as the Spergebied and no unauthorised entry has been permitted since the mine was established in the early 1900's. The area is therefore virtually untouched and is one of the most spectacular parts of Namibia. It is extremely dry and hot with annual precipitation of less than 20 mm. Most of the precipitation occurs as a result of the sea-mist that forms from the cold Augulus current which runs up the west coast.
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The mine and town use Orange River water which is abstracted from sand wells just upstream of the Openheimer Bridge. The water is used mainly for the town of Oranjemund and current use is in the order of 7 million m3 per annum. The town boasts one of the few golf courses on the west coast which always shows up clearly as a patch of green vegetation in an otherwise desolate and vegetation free area.
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