Jwaneng

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Geography and History

Jwaneng is a town situated in the Southern District of Botswana. It is not considered part of the Southern District and has its own separate Town Council.

Jwaneng means “a place of small stones” in Setswana.

The town was formed around the Jwaneng diamond mine, the richest mine in the world in terms of its content of gem-quality diamonds. In the beginning, Jwaneng was a ‘closed town’ and in order to live there, you needed to get permission from the owners of the mine, Debswana, which is a partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana.

The Jwaneng diamond mine contributes between 60% and 70% of Debswana’s revenue. Jwaneng's high grade ore means this mine punches above its weight in terms of diamonds recovered. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000. Jwaneng is known for its excellent safety record, winning multiple national and international safety awards.

The mine is located on three pipes (Centre North & South pipes) with an average grade of 150 cpht, and a smaller satellite pipe averaging 25 cpht. The Jwaneng pipe was discovered in 1972 by De Beers prospectors. The size of the pipe, near surface was 54 ha. The age of the pipe is estimated to be 240 million years old.

The Jwaneng Mine Aquarium diamond recovery plant is the first of its kind in the industry. It encompasses the Completely Automated Recovery Plant (CARP) and the Fully Integrated Sort House (FISH).

Activities/ Attractions

The main attractions in Jwaneng are:

The Jwaneng Game Park: home to 1,700 animals
Jwaneng Mine: the richest diamond mine in the world by value. The mine became fully operational in August 1982, when it was officially opened by the then President of Botswana, His Excellency Sir Ketumile Masire.

Accommodation

Places to stay in Jwaneng include many lodges and hotels.

Businesses

Jwaneng operates a local hospital and is served by Jwaneng Airport.

For information on the businesses located in Jwaneng, please visit our business directory or add your own free business directory listing.