Recent media reports cited Zimbabwe's mines minister accusing De Beers of looting tonnes of diamonds from the controversial Marange mining fields over a period of 15 years without notifying the state of the discovery of the gems. Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa caught up with De Beers Group’s head of media relations, Lynette Gould to get their side of the story. Below are the excerpts.
What is De Beers' reaction to statements allegedly said by Zimbabwe's Mines Minister Obert Mpofu that the diamond giant had ‘looted’ tonnes of gems from the southern African country for 15 years without notifying authorities of the diamonds?
By the (Zimbabwe) government's own admission, there is no evidence to support the allegations made against De Beers. Therefore, we view it as a 'non story'.
As All Africa, the Herald commented, 'it seems incredible that a foreign company can secretly extract diamonds for 15 years without anyone noticing or raising alarm.'
If we had been mining 'tonnes' of diamonds, over a 15 year period, there would be a very large hole indeed left behind in Marange. Industrial mining of this magnitude would have been impossible to disguise, let alone keep secret.
In conclusion, not only are the allegations outrageous and incredible, but they also lack any evidence, whatsoever.
Mpofu alleged that De Beers carried out ‘covert’ mining activities under the guise of prospecting and testing. Can you provide details of your operations in Zimbabwe during the period in question?
De Beers arrived in Zimbabwe in 1993 and left in 2006, and first prospected in the Marange area in the late 1990s.
Amongst the reasons for relinquishing the Marange licenses back to the government were: most significantly, after carrying out sampling across the area we concluded that the deposit did not fit the profile of our other activities elsewhere in southern Africa.
De Beers' exploration focus is on primary deposits and our view was that our resources would be better invested in other prospective areas more suited to our commercial objectives; in addition, the (Zimbabwe) government had created an environment of uncertainty regarding the status and future of the concession and by 2006, the area was being worked by unmanaged, itinerate diggers.
All of this resulted in an unacceptable level of risk for De Beers in maintaining a presence.
Did the Zimbabwean government probed De Beers operations at some point that saw the group pulling out of the country, as alleged by the minister?
No. Like I said before we arrived in Zimbabwe in 1993 and left in 2006, and first prospected in the Marange area in the late 1990s. The deposit did not fit the profile of our other activities elsewhere in southern Africa.
Does De Beers have any future interest in Zimbabwe's diamonds? If yes or no give reason.
No. De Beers' exploration efforts are focused on Botswana, Canada, Angola, South Africa and India.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Rough&Polished, from Namibia
