Kentz recently sponsored a local football tournament in Botswana where it is working on the Jwaneng Diamond Mine Project.

Kentz's scope of work includes two contracts; the erection of all structural steel work and the execution of the pit ring overhead lines for the Cut 8 Project at the Jwaneng Mine, one of the most abundant diamond mines in the world. The mine is located in south-central Botswana about 120 kilometres west of Gaborone. It is owned by Debswana, a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana.

The tournament took place during the Independence holiday and was dubbed "Kentz Independence Challenge". It involved four Jwaneng teams, Comets, Youngsters, Fighters and Blue Diamonds. The tournament proved to be a hit and a colourful affair for the Jwaneng community, who thronged to the Galaxy Stadium to show support for their teams.

This was the first instalment of the Kentz Independence Challenge, with the tournament now expected to be staged every year.

Speaking at the ceremony to mark the unveiling of the sponsorship, David Sebina, Operations Readiness Manager, Cut 8, thanked Kentz for its commitment and contribution to community development in Jwaneng. "Kentz's sponsorship of the tournament will go a long way in addressing some of the developmental gaps in and around Jwaneng." He highlighted that Cut 8 is the Jwaneng Mine's expansion project which will ensure continuous production of the mine until at least 2024. He added that Debswana is set to invest US$3.58bn over the next 14 years to ensure sustainability of the project. The current mining operation is expected to have depleted ore by 2017, therefore with Cut 8, the life of Jwaneng mine will be extended further by an additional seven years.

Conor O'Flaherty, Electrical and Instrumentation Site Manager for Kentz, echoed Sebina's sentiments, adding: "The relationship we have with the local community in Jwaneng is of the utmost importance to Kentz. We believe strongly in giving back to communities in which we work, through projects that have both a clear and sustainable effect on the people in the community."
Comets won the tournament, followed by Youngsters, Fighters and Blue Diamonds in second, third and fourth positions respectively.

Jwaneng Comets, winners of the Kentz Independence Day Challenge