All sessions take place in the CGS Auditorium unless indicated otherwise. Refreshments are served in the Cupola. See the Venue page for the full room list. A printable PDF programme and abstract volume are available from the Downloads page.
Day 1 · Thursday 10 September 2026
| Time | Topic & speaker |
|---|---|
| 07:45 – 09:00 | Registration & coffee |
| 09:00 – 09:10 |
Brief introduction
Mike de Wit · University of Stellenbosch
|
| 09:10 – 09:30 |
Formal welcome address
Mosa Mabuza · CEO, Council for Geoscience
|
| 09:30 – 10:10 |
KeynotePreserving Bakerville’s geo-mining heritage
Khodani Matshusa · UNISA
|
| 10:10 – 10:35 |
Alluvial diamond prospects in the North West Province
Refilwe Monoko · Council for Geoscience
|
| 10:35 – 11:10 | Tea |
| 11:15 – 11:55 |
KeynoteLichtenburg diamonds, comparison with other secondary deposits and potential sources
Ingrid Chinn · De Beers Group · Chair: John Ward
|
| 11:55 – 12:20 |
Spectroscopic analysis of Lichtenburg alluvial diamonds compared to diamonds from regional kimberlites
Karen Smit · University of the Witwatersrand
|
| 12:20 – 12:45 |
Origin of Lichtenburg diamonds, have we solved the mystery?
Edgar Stettler · University of the Witwatersrand, AeroPhysX
|
| 12:45 – 13:05 |
Spectroscopic results of Palmietgat diamonds
Puleng Nthebe · University of the Witwatersrand
|
| 13:05 – 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 – 14:40 |
KeynoteGeophysical techniques applicable to the search for palaeo-gravels and kimberlites in the Lichtenburg area
Edgar Stettler · University of the Witwatersrand, AeroPhysX · Chair: Tania Marshall
|
| 14:40 – 15:05 |
Ground geophysics techniques for alluvial diamonds. Exploration in the Northwest and Northern Cape Provinces of South Africa
Emmanuel Chirenje · Council for Geoscience
|
| 15:05 – 15:30 |
Geophysical characterisation of alluvial gravel deposits near Lichtenburg, North West Province, South Africa
Simon Sebothoma · Council for Geoscience
|
| 15:30 – 15:55 |
Is this the next Lichtenburg? The case for alluvial diamond trap sites at the base of Die Kaapse Berg
Jim Davidson · Independent geologist
|
| 16:00 – 18:30 | Poster session & sponsor exhibition |
Posters (Day 1, 16:00 – 18:30)
- Lab-scale offsetting of CO2 emissions by air capture in sample fine residue dumps from Cullinan Diamond Mine, South Africa. Dieketseng Boshomane, University of Pretoria
- The importance of machine learning in geology: Detecting pyrite (FeS2) nodules in coal seams using ML. Mmamaraka Nkuma, University of Pretoria
- Experiences and frustration of a small miner’s attempt to develop opportunities and jobs in the South African diamond (and minerals) sector. Siphwe Mtiya, Independent Entrepreneur
- Occurrence and distribution of copper-sulphide mineralisation in the Mutale area, Soutpansberg Group, South Africa. Mphanama Thangeni, University of Venda
Day 2 · Friday 11 September 2026
| Time | Topic & speaker |
|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:40 |
KeynoteNot a tale of two cities, but of two principal diamond placers (Palaeozoic and Cainozoic) in the southern North West Province, South Africa
John Ward · Geological consultant · Chair: Ingrid Chinn
|
| 09:40 – 10:05 |
Some aspects of the geology of the karst-hosted alluvial diamond deposits of the Ventersdorp District
Tania Marshall · University of the Witwatersrand / GSSA
|
| 10:05 – 10:30 |
A snapshot on the production history (Mar 2014 to Mar 2018) of the Blue Gum Deposit, Ventersdorp District, North West Province
Braam Jankowitz · Torque Africa Group
|
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Tea |
| 11:15 – 11:55 |
KeynoteA depositional model for the Bakerville gravels and the sources of its diamonds
Mike de Wit · University of Stellenbosch · Chair: Khodani Matshusa
|
| 11:55 – 12:20 |
Geological mapping of alluvial systems in the Northern Cape and North West Provinces, South Africa
Debbie Claassen · Council for Geoscience
|
| 12:20 – 12:40 |
Structural controls on the geology of the Lichtenburg–Bakerville Diamond Fields, North West Province, South Africa
Hielke Jelsma · University of Stellenbosch / geSIGMA
|
| 12:40 – 13:00 |
Meso- to Neoarchaean crustal evolution of the southern Kaapvaal Craton: insights from kimberlite-borne granitoid xenoliths
Anfisa Skoblenko · University of Johannesburg
|
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 – 14:25 |
Over a decade of advancing Earth Sciences: insights from a multidisciplinary integrated Geoscience mapping programme, North West and Northern Cape Provinces, South Africa
Ponani Mthembi · Council for Geoscience · Chair: Emmanuel Chirenje
|
| 14:25 – 14:50 |
Luminescence dating of Quaternary sedimentary deposits in mining landscapes: approaches, potential and limitations
Daria Semikolennykh · University of the Witwatersrand
|
| 14:50 – 15:15 |
The changing fortunes of a mudbelt: Why seafloor mapping matters
Jazmynn Eksteen · University of KwaZulu-Natal
|
| 15:15 – 15:40 |
Detailed bedrock morphology and structural geology controls on diamond traps offshore Hottentot’s Bay, southern Namibia
Ishta Maharaj · University of KwaZulu-Natal
|
| 15:40 – 16:10 |
Panel discussion, depositional model and origin of the Lichtenburg diamonds
All speakers · Chair: Mike de Wit
|
| 16:10 – 16:30 | Closing & field-trip arrangements |