Without Fanfare De Beers Closes Kimberly Underground Operations

It looks like a major piece of diamond mining history has come to an end after De Beers finished underground mining at its historic Kimberley mines earlier this month. The miner admits it likely will not reopen the mines where operations began in the 1860s.

De Beers has for some time said its Kimberley underground operations were not profitable and has consulted unions regarding a possible closedown. Although this process will continue for another month, underground mining has come to an end.

"Underground operations have ceased," De Beers spokeswoman Nicola Wilson said. "It's a safety consideration because of morale underground."

De Beers managers are concerned over underground safety if workers feared they were about to be fired, Wilson said, so underground work was brought to an end on August 15, two weeks after consultation with the workforce formally started.

"A decision has been made to stop underground operations but we're committed to the consultation process," she said. "If someone comes up with a viable option for keeping them in business, we will look at that."

The company will continue to process spoil heaps around the town - which accounted for 90 percent of Kimberley's production before the shutting down of underground operations.

De Beers says it is still committed to Kimberley, which officially remains the company's headquarters, and is investing to make the Big Hole - an open hole hundreds of meters deep that marked one of the first mines - a major tourist attraction.

De Beers is a major employed in the Northern Cape Province, second only to the local government.