D E L RA N D

Stick yourself for a moment into the chair of a careers adviser. You analyse the CVs, sift through the personality tests and dish out the wisdom — one will make a great investment banker, the next a lawyer, a vet, a barman or a shelf stacker. But I wonder if you would ever come across a profile that makes you say yup, no doubt about it, dash out and buy the mosquito repellent and the Indiana Jones hat, you are perfectly suited for a career in diamond exploration in the Congo.

It’s hard to imagine a tougher environment in which to operate, and Delrand’s results announcement gets positively lyrical when talking about the risks involved. Quite apart from the need to raise further funds, Delrand has to contend with everything from war to civil unrest, an almost total lack of infrastructure and the very real risk that if they do find anything particularly appealing it will be expropriated faster than you can blink.

The company’s got no revenue and is having to go back to investors with the begging bowl on a regular basis. Its properties are all in the exploration stage, so are many years and piles of loot away from making any money.

It all sounds like a hell of a long shot, and yet it’s no secret that there are some fabulous assets waiting to be discovered, and at least Delrand is keeping expenditure to a minimum when it’s on the hunt. It’s definitely one for the punters, not the widows and orphans, but let’s hope the miracle happens and Delrand stumbles across a big one. Vital numbers on November 25 2013

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