| Thu 4 Sep 2008, 14:30 | | RDI - Rockwell - Rockwell Appoints Experienced Mine And Earth Moving Manager To |
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RDI
RDI
RDI - Rockwell - Rockwell Appoints Experienced Mine And Earth Moving Manager To
Oversee Its Northern Cape Alluvial Mining Operations
ROCKWELL DIAMONDS INCORPORATED
(A company incorporated in accordance with the laws of British Columbia, Canada)
(Incorporation number BCO354545)
(Formerly Rockwell Ventures Inc.)
(South African registration number: 2007/031582/10)
Share code on the JSE Limited: RDI & ISIN: CA77434W1032
Share code on the TSXV RDI & CUSIP Number: 77434W103
Share code on the OTCBB: RDIAF
("Rockwell")
ROCKWELL APPOINTS EXPERIENCED MINE AND EARTH MOVING MANAGER TO OVERSEE ITS
NORTHERN CAPE ALLUVIAL MINING OPERATIONS
September 4, 2008 - Vancouver, B.C. - Rockwell Diamonds Inc ("Rockwell" or the
"Company") (TSX: RDI; JSE: RDI; OTCBB: RDIAF) announces the appointment of Bruce
Cubitt, a specialist in earth moving plant and open cast mining methods, to
strengthen the Company`s management team and oversee all day to day operational
aspects of its Northern Cape alluvial diamond mining operations.
Bruce initially studied geology at the University of Natal and joined De Beers
as a field assistant prior to completing a National Technical Diploma in Coal
Mining at the Witwatersrand Technikon in 1985. He received his Mine Mangers
Certificate of Competency in 1992, and completed a Management Development
Program at Pretoria Technikon in 1993. He gained extensive experience in
underground, and then open cast coal mines, rising to mine manager level on BHP
Billiton collieries in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Bruce joined MCC
Group of Companies, a successful contract mining business, in 2000 where he
gained experience on open cast platinum and alluvial diamond mines. He has a
Blasting Ticket and spent time in Australia gaining experience in shovel and
truck procedures for open cast mining
Mr Cubitt will assume the role of Operations Manager for the Company`s
operations in the Northern Cape Province. He will be responsible for the day to
day management, optimization, maintenance, and replacement policies of the
Company`s large earth moving fleet, processing activities, and related services.
This new appointment bolsters the Company`s Senior Management team which now
comprises the following key functions and personnel: Bruce Cubitt, Operations
Manager; mining, processing, and services; Hennie van Wyk, Manager New Projects,
including responsibility for all new Processing and Final Recovery Plant
installations and upgrades; Dominique de la Roche, Chief Financial Officer, all
financial, costing, capital, and legal activities; and Jeffery Brenner, Manager
Diamond Marketing and Sales.
In addition to strengthening the management team Mr Cubitt`s appointment will
allow Hennie van Wyk to focus attention on the Company`s demanding New Project
pipeline. Currently, Rockwell is fabricating and constructing a new high volume
Wet Rotary Pan-plant at its Saxendrift operation, which is a key part of the
Company`s expansion program. Good progress is being made on the new plant, which
is on-time and on-budget. The Company has also scheduled the commissioning of a
second Rotary Pan-plant on Wouterspan (Wouterspan-B), to be followed by the
modernization of the existing Wouterspan plant (Wouterspan-A), and is in the
final stages of planning additions and modifications to the Niewejaarskraal
processing plant, located to the southwest of Saxendrift. The Wouterspan-B plant
will utilize plant and equipment previously installed at Makoenskloof. The
Company will be optimizing its final-recovery and "hands off" diamond recovery
procedures in the Middle Orange River to ensure improved security, cost savings
and efficiencies.
President and CEO John Bristow noted "During the time he has been with the
Company, Bruce Cubitt`s experience in open cast mining methods has already had
positive impact on cost savings and better utilization and optimization of our
earth moving fleet. His appointment has also been particularly beneficial in
respect of allowing Hennie van Wyk to focus attention, with his Projects Team,
on the installation and commissioning of new metallurgical processing and
recovery plants, thereby ensuring that we can maintain our growth profile and
increase diamond production while reducing operating costs. Hennie also
continues to impart his knowledge on operational aspects ensuring on-going
quality control of the existing processing plants.
Rockwell has progressively enhanced and modified the various operational
practises of the large private family business that it acquired in late 2006.
This latest addition to the management team is part of that progression, added
to which on-going cost challenges that have come to the fore in 2008 (fuel and
cost of living increases being two notable factors), have also necessitated
proactive cost reduction measures by the Company. Likewise, these changes
reflect management`s recognition of the expansion opportunities in the existing
operations, and focus on the demanding new project pipeline the Company is
pursuing."
For further details on Rockwell Diamonds Inc., please visit the Company`s
website at ww.rockwelldiamonds.com or contact Investor Services at (604) 684-
6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114.
John Bristow
President and CEO
No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in
this news release.
Forward Looking Statements
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking
statements". Other than statements of historical fact all statements in this
release that address future production, reserve or resource potential,
exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that
each Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company
believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based
on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future
performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those
in the forward-looking statements. There is no certainty of the financing
completing. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and
exploration successes, changes in and the effect of government policies
regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, availability
of capital and financing, geopolitical uncertainty and political and economic
instability, and general economic, and market or business conditions. Investors
are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance
and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those
projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Rockwell,
Investors should review Rockwell`s annual Form 20-F filing with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission www.sec.com and the Company`s home
jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
Date: 04/09/2008 14:30:01 Produced by the JSE SENS Department.
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