Nosiphiwo Mzamo: South Africa’s State Diamond Trader to buy diamonds from other African countries

South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) is set to buy diamonds from other African countries starting with Botswana. SDT’s chief executive Nosiphiwo Mzamo told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa at the country’s inaugural diamond show, which...

10 february 2025

Edahn Golan: Halo effect from lab-grown diamonds driving high demand for large, 2-carat natural stones in the U.S.

Edahn Golan, owner of the eponymous Edahn Golan Diamond Research and Data, told Rough & Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that their research found a halo effect from lab-grown diamonds. He said the trend among lab-grown diamond...

27 january 2025

Paul Zimnisky: We will see a modest recovery in natural diamond demand and prices in 2025

According to Paul Zimnisky, an independent diamond and jewellery analyst and consultant based in the New York metro area, the natural diamond industry will see a modest recovery in demand and prices this year. Zimnisky said a moderate recovery would...

13 january 2025

African Diamond Council makes traceability its top priority, wants KP to embrace Authentia.io

The African Diamond Council (ADC) has made traceability its foremost priority and has been contributing to a traceability solution called Authentia.io for the last three and a half years, which is now ready to globally satisfy the traceability...

16 december 2024

Gaetano Cavalieri: CIBJO leading the jewelry industry on critical issues

One of the gem and jewellery industry’s most well-known and respected personalities, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, has been the president of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), for the past 23 years. CIBJO is the oldest international organisation...

09 december 2024

South Africa launches exploration fund

06 february 2024

South Africa cleared all the regulatory hurdles and approvals to launch the country’s exploration fund on the sidelines of the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Tuesday. 

“The establishment of this fund will catalyse some of the discoveries we have made, such as the discovery of rare earth-bearing minerals such as lithium, coltan, and phosphate in a rock formation known as pegmatine in the Northern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo,” said minerals mines minister Gwede Mantashe while addressing delegates.

“These discoveries have brought to the fore the urgency and need for South Africa to finalise and put in place its own critical minerals strategy, which we intend to launch this year.”

He said only developed countries have a strategy and definition of critical minerals to date.

Meanwhile, Mantashe said they remain resolute about resolving the energy constraints in the country and reducing unserved energy in totality to support the economy and the mining industry in particular.

To this end, he said, the country reviewed the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and gazetted the updated version for public comments.

Following the promulgation of the IRP, South Africa procured 6,094 MW of new generation capacity.

Of these, 1 234 MW are under construction, and 150 MW are connected to the grid and supply the required electricity.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, from Cape Town, South Africa, Rough&Polished