Approach to—
Sustainability
We are committed to protecting our people and planet by ensuring our operations are environmentally responsible and have high safety standards for our employees and the local communities in which we operate. Our diamonds are produced sustainably. Rainbow Mines operates under the World Diamond Council’s System of Warranties and we adhere to the Kimberley Process.
Lesotho
In Lesotho, the major focus is on supporting children’s education through scholarships and school building and repairs as well as poverty relief for the residents of the surrounding villages through casual work at the mine, assisting farmers through the agricultural buyback program and regular financial and in-kind donations. We also provide healthcare to employees and their families through the on-site health clinic which is staffed by qualified doctors and health professionals. During the pandemic, the Mothae mine cooperated with the Government of Lesotho to vaccinate the most vulnerable in the country.
Angola
In Angola, we are building a state-of-the-art school for the nearby community of Xamiquelquengue where about 80 percent of the mine’s workforce live. The Secondary School is expected to be completed in 2023. As well as this major project, SML, the operating company of the Lulo mine has refurbished existing buildings and donated learning materials and school supplies to local primary school students.
We have also sunk bores and connected a solar powered pump and storages system to provide fresh and clean water for school students and the local community to use.
Lulo
At Lulo, our upgraded health clinic provides healthcare for our employees and their families onsite 24 hours. We also supported the government COVID vaccination program by providing vaccines on site and daily screening and monitoring.
Mining is a high impact activity on the environment. At both of our African operations we have dedicated environmental officers who regularly monitor, measure and report on the environmental issues. Our rehabilitation and revegetation projects are planned in accordance with local legislation and best practice. At Lulo, we have created a nursery to germinate plants for revegetating disturbed land on the mining concession. The seeds are collected from within the concession and then the tube stocks are planted to revegetate the site.
Mothae
Mothae’s environmental team monitors ground and surface water as well as vegetation and soil. In 2022, the waste management infrastructure was upgraded with a new waste treatment plant commissioned which eliminates the mine site’s reliance on disposal of waste by trucks which was costly and inefficient. The plant treats the mine’s grey and black water, producing safe and disposable effluent and waste product.
Championing a diverse workforce
People and Diversity
Our diverse team of more than 1000 staff and contractors spread across our operations, is overwhelmingly made up of people who reside locally to our operations.
The ages of our employees range from 18 years old to some in their late 60’s.
At Mothae, women make up about a third of our team, and 99 percent of the workforce are Lesotho Nationals.
Lulo’s team is made up of 20 percent expatriates and 80 percent Angolans, with a smaller number of women in roles at the site at about 10 percent.
We help to empower those residents who live nearby to our operations through a number of initiatives to help poverty relief such as casual employment and local procurement from the nearby Letšeng Village.
We provide traineeships in various areas such as environmental, catering and driving heavy vehicles. We also provide industrial relations training at a supervisor level so they are aware of grievance procedures and workplace ethics. We also we run regular training initiatives to help employees gain new capabilities for greater opportunities.
Success
Stories
We provide financial and in-kind support for the communities in which we operate. These programs are long-term and designed to give individuals sustainable skills, care and income.
