Motapa targets southern African diamonds

Vancouver — With a well-pedigreed board, Motapa Diamonds (MTP-V, MOPDF-O) has taken up the diamond hunt in southern Africa, focusing on emerging kimberlite provinces within relatively stable, pro-development countries.

Striking a balance between risk and reward, the company has targeted prospective regions of Namibia, Zambia and Botswana, as well as Gabon and Mozambique, both directly and via joint-venture agreements.

The company’s beginnings came in 1998 through an international diamond exploration strategy developed by BHP Billiton (BHP-N) and John Gurney to apply successful exploration techniques, proven at the Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories, to other areas of the world.

Motapa’s strong strategic relationship with BHP Billiton has the major holding a 13% equity position and an option to earn up to a 51% interest in any of the projects. The alliance includes the added benefit of access to BHP’s proprietary Falcon airborne gravity gradiometer system as an exploration tool.

John Gurney, Motapa’s chairman, is a long-time pioneer in kimberlite geochemical exploration analysis, having developed the now well-known technique of pyrope garnet composition analysis (calcium versus chromium content) and its chart plot. Gurney’s Cape Town, South Africa-based company, Mineral Services International, remains one of the top labs used by diamond explorers worldwide — access to which is a definite boon to the company’s exploration effort.

Motapa’s flagship project is Kavango in northeastern Namibia. The 21,000-sq.-km property covers a large kimberlite province on the southern end of the Congo Shield and is largely masked by Kalahari Desert sediments. Drilling has so far discovered eight kimberlites in the southeastern portion of the project; samples are being tested for diamond potential through indicator mineral analysis.

A large indicator mineral anomaly, Omatako, with abundant G-10 pyrope garnets and diamond populations has been defined in the north-central section of the property. Motapa is applying results from its known kimberlites in the analysis of this anomaly, en route to developing drill targets.

In southwestern Zambia, Motapa holds a 60% interest in its Mulonga joint venture, with Caledonia Mining (CAL-T, CALVF-O, CMCL-L), on the southeastern edge of the Congo Shield. Indicator mineral sampling has delivered strongly prospective geochemistry coupled with airborne magnetic-gravity anomalies that were recently drilled. No kimberlite was intersected in the 11-hole program. Samples from the drill program are undergoing analysis for kimberlitic indicators.

Farther north in Zambia, the joint-venture partners hold the Kashiji and Lukulu licences.

About 23,000 sq. km of diamond-prospecting licences in Botswana are also held by Motapa, parts of which are 40% owned by AfriOre (AFO-T, AFO-L) through a joint venture. To offset its exploration costs, Motapa has granted Stornoway Diamond (SWY-T, SWYDF-O) an option to earn a 50% interest in its entire Botswana landholdings.

In Gabon, the company’s 48,000-sq.-km Lebiri exploration permit has undergone regional stream sampling; abundant kimberlitic indicator minerals were recovered, showing favourable geochemistry. Recent airborne magnetic surveys have delineated a number of kimberlite targets for drilling. Motapa also recently acquired non-diamond licences for uranium, gold and manganese, which it is planning to joint venture out.

The company is looking for joint-venture partners for its 5,000 sq. km of diamond licences in western Mozambique. The landholdings cover sections on the eastern-most extension of the prospective Limpopo mobile belt, near the inferred margin of the Zimbabwe Craton.

Much of Motapa’s upcoming diamond-exploration effort will focus on its Kavango project in Namibia and Mulonga in Zambia.