Central SA
Ekapa Diamond Mine has been placed under a 90-day auction process─── ZENANDE MPAME 11:29 Sat, 16 May 2026
The Ekapa Diamond Mine in Kimberley has been placed on the market with no minimum price.
Both local and international investors have been invited to purchase the operation as a going concern. The sale relates to surface and underground mining operations, while non-core assets such as game farms will be sold separately at a later stage.
DFA reports the sale includes approximately 140-million tons of tailings mineral resources, a 9.6-million-tonne-per-annum processing plant, and the Du Toitspan, Bultfontein, and Wesselton kimberlite pipes, part of Kimberley’s historic “Famous Five” diamond cluster.
Ekapa Minerals (Pty) Ltd and Ekapa Resources (Pty) Ltd were placed under provisional liquidation in March following a mud rush incident at the Du Toitspan mine, where five miners died after being trapped underground.
The department of mineral resources and energy is investigating the incident. The Ekapa liquidation case will continue in the high court in Kimberley on Friday, 30 October, leaving more than a thousand workers in limbo for more than six months.
“Prospective investors will have the opportunity to acquire the core assets and mining rights and potentially resume operations within a defined 90-day window, or reposition the asset as part of a longer-term strategic approach,” said one of the joint provisional liquidators of Ekapa Richard Pollock.
“From our first on-site engagement, we were aligned that every effort should be made to determine whether the mine can be saved, in part or in whole. This remains a priority outcome that would benefit creditors, employees, and the broader Kimberley community.”
The plant and surface infrastructure had been well maintained, and the Bultfontein and Wesselton shafts could potentially be brought back into operation relatively quickly should market conditions improve, he said.
The joint provisional liquidators of Ekapa, Richard Pollock, Kgashane Monyela, Mmaeshibe Phuti Dibete, Beneste Dicks, Mervin Dowries, Leandi Els, Madeleine Fivaz, and Karen Fortein, stated the sale would be conducted through a jointly mandated auction process.
Metalworkers’ union Numsa welcomed the postponement of the provisional winding up of the Ekapa Minerals Mine.
The union said it will do everything possible to save jobs at Kimberley’s last diamond mine as liquidation approaches. The mine applied to close and stopped operations with immediate effect in February, leaving more than a thousand workers without work or pay.
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