Esau Insists: No Decision Yet on Zimbabwe

by Admin on September 30th, 2009

Kimberley Process (KP) chairman Bernard Esau stressed that no decision has been made yet regarding Zimbabwe’s participation in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Esau refuted previous media reports claiming that the KP had already made a decision not to suspend Zimbabwe from the scheme.

Esau explained that his recent visit to Zimbabwe was not a review visit but a bilateral visit “for informative purposes only.” A KP team conducted a review mission to the country between June 30 and July 4 and subsequently provided the KP and Zimbabwe with an interim update in July, but has yet to publish its final report, the chairman reported.

“Any decisions by the Kimberley Process as to Zimbabwe’s membership will be taken in light of that final report on which Zimbabwe will have an opportunity to comment and in compliance with the agreed Kimberley Process rules and procedures,” the statement read. “No final decision has yet been taken. The chair has not made any unilateral decision on Zimbabwe and there was no intention to preempt any Kimberley Process.”

The statement comes two weeks after media reports cited Esau as saying that Zimbabwe will not face suspension. In August, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada, as well as the diamond industry’s representative at the process, the World Diamond Council, intensified calls for the KP to ban Zimbabwe from the scheme over alleged human rights violations and diamond smuggling from the Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has reportedly argued that suspending its membership would have a dramatic impact on the recovery of its frail economy. According to Kimberley Process statistics, the country produced 797,198.10 carats of rough diamonds valued at $43.8 million in 2008. Zimbabwe’s three main mines include the state-owned Marange alluvial fields, Rio Tinto’s 78-percent-owned Murowa mine and the River Ranch mine.

Rio sees bright future for diamonds

by Admin on September 30th, 2009

 

Fresh after cancelling a planned shut-down at its Diavik diamond mine, Rio Tinto has given an upbeat assessment of the state of the industry.

In an investor presentation in Yellowknife, Canada, where the company’s majority-owned Diavik mine is located, Rio Tinto executives said sales of rough diamonds improved significantly in the second and third quarters of 2009.

The assessment of the diamond industry may spell good news for the Argyle diamond mine located in the Kimberly region of Western Australia.

In response to lower prices as a result of the global financial crisis, Argyle was shut down for maintenance from March to May this year with processing recommencing in June.

‘‘Supply volumes into the market are moving back towards pre-crisis levels,’’ notes from the presentation said. ‘‘On the supply side, new diamond discoveries are becoming increasingly rare,’’ it said.

The address, from Diavik Diamond Mines president Kim Truter, and vice president of finance Mike Jolley, said demand is expected to exceed supply in the long-term.

‘‘Diamond reserves have been declining steadily, with most existing resources set to deplete in 15 years,’’ the company said.

It said of new discoveries only one in 100 were economic.

The presentation said the diamond industry faced an unprecedented crisis after October 2008 when demand for the precious stones collapsed in the US market.

It said there was excess stock inventory, speculation, liquidity constraints and de-stocking.

The company responded by forcing temporary shutdowns as Diavik, reducing plant throughput and operating costs, deferred non-essential sustaining capital and an underground project and renegotiate supply contracts.

But the company recently cancelled another six-week shutdown of the Diavik mine in Canada planned for later in the year, citing rising demand.

Rio Tinto’s diamonds operations reported a $US56 million ($64.1 million) loss in the first half of 2009, compared with a profit of $US108 million in the same period of 2008.

De Beers refutes Botswana report

by Admin on September 30th, 2009

 

De Beers is concerned about what it calls a “distorted” and “inaccurate” depiction of the diamond industry in Botswana, it said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the world’s largest diamond miner said the Bench Marks Foundation’s report entitled “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Diamond Mining Industry in Botswana: De Beers, Botswana and the Control of a Country” neither reflected its experience in Botswana nor the findings of numerous reputable independent studies.

Presenting its report in Johannesburg on Wednesday, the Bench Mark Foundation — an independent organisation monitoring corporate performance in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) — said that Botswana was severely water stressed.

“This situation is aggravated by mining, which is by far the dominant industry in the country,” it said.

Obsession with continuous production

The foundation claimed a former geologist at Debswana (a joint venture between the government of Botswana and De Beers) had said that open cast mines required dewatering the surrounding areas to effect a drop in the water-table that would allow the mining operation to operate in dry conditions.

Diamond mines were run on a continuous basis and therefore any interruption jeopardised production and economic viability, the foundation said.

“It is exactly this obsession with continuous production that causes mining corporations to become slack regarding environmental issues,” it said.

“Nothing is said about this in Debswana’s report for 2007 about negative environmental incidents, whether such incidents impacted on production, or placed workers and residents of mining towns or neighbouring communities at risk,” said the foundation’s chief executive John Capel.

Foundation chairman Bishop Jo Seoka called upon Botswana’s government to diversify its economy to enable the country to become sustainable in a post-diamond mining era, “particularly as resource projections suggest that the country will run out of diamonds by 2029″.

Botswana’s failure to capitalise

He criticised Botswana’s failure to capitalise on its option to beneficiate (cutting and polishing) at least 10 percent of rough diamonds locally.

“Until very recently, De Beers actively blocked any attempts by Botswana to beneficiate its own diamonds,” Seoka said.

The foundation also claimed that the government of Botswana had been heavy-handed in its dealings with the Basarwa communities in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR).

“This uneasy relationship has been exacerbated by Botswana’s rapidly expanding mining industry and water shortage problems,” the foundation said.

“The question of water and mining took a further ominous turn when the Gana Kwi Kwe San communities in the CKGR won a long drawn out legal battle in December 2006 against their forced removal to make way for mining,” Capel stated.

He added that the Botswana government responded in “a typically totalitarian manner” to the community’s victory by smashing wells and boreholes leaving them without water.

In response to the report, De Beers said that beyond “a handful of reportedly anonymous interviews” and a lower than five percent response rate to a questionnaire, the authors of the report did not interview De Beers or Debswana management or government officials.

“They also do not reference any company documentation other than annual reports,” De Beers said.

507-Carat Rough Diamond Found

by Admin on September 30th, 2009

It looks like a chunk of clouded ice but the stone shown at right is a 507-carat rough diamond found at the Petra Diamonds Cullinan Mine in South Africa. The 507.55 carat stone is believed to be of exceptional color and clarity, and is most likely a Type II diamond. The rough was found as part of a run that also included a 168-carat piece of rough and two other stones of 58.5 and 53.3 carats. A lucky day indeed, the stone is one of the top 20 largest high-quality rough diamonds ever found making it incredibly rare.

The Cullinan Mine has yielded some of the world’s great diamonds including the largest “gem-quality” stone ever recovered, the “Cullinan,” 3,106 carats rough, and was the source for the Golden Jubilee, at 755 carats rough, and the Centenary, at 599 carats rough. Cullinan also produced the piece of rough that became the Taylor-Burton diamond, a stone that is 69 carats polished. The diamonds will be analyzed by a team of experts and then the long process of determining how to best cut them can begin.

Diamond Pendant Marks Dream of ‘Total Peace’

by Admin on September 28th, 2009

 

Online diamond retailer whiteflash.com along with the World Centers of Compassion for Children International (WCCCI) launched an initiative in Denver, Colorado, in which 100 percent of proceeds from conflict-free diamond pendant go to WCCCI.

The $4,400 Dreams of Africa(TM) diamond pendant will only be available from whiteflash.com

“Our Dreams of Africa are not for partial peace. They are for total peace,” said Debi Wexler, CEO of whiteflash.com. Wexler along with WCCCI’s founder Betty Williams are jointly working towards building safe and nurturing environments for children “who need a second chance in life. If we start teaching peace at the beginning of these young children’s education, we will help these children to shine like brilliant diamonds for the world.”

Specifically, the partners will focus upon helping children who have suffered from conflicts in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other countries in Africa.

“We need consumers to understand that there is a huge difference between blood diamonds and conflict-free diamonds,” said Wexler. “Not all diamonds are ill-gotten. When diamond mining is undertaken in the correct manner, without child labor or government conflict, the profits build infrastructure and serve as a source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of people. As a socially responsible design company in the diamond industry, we believe it is our duty to support children who have suffered under blood diamond conflicts and to create awareness in order to combat such illicit diamond trade.”

Wexler and Nobel Laureate Williams joined  the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak out against global conflicts and increased military spending at the expense of human health and welfare.

Whiteflash.com and WCCCI will work to establish the first learning center, headquartered in Italy, which will provide  scholarships for children from Sierra Leone and other locations across Africa, and to instill values of peace and understanding during these children’s early education. Italy’s government donated land to build the learning center.

Whiteflash Dreams Of Africa™ to Honor New Charity Partner

by Admin on September 28th, 2009

On Friday, September 15, twelve Nobel Peace Prize winners gathered in Denver, Colorado to voice their desire for the building of education and peace in impoverished and war-torn areas of the world. This was the largest-ever gathering of Nobel Laureates on US soil. Luminaries such as the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu attended to speak out against global conflicts and increased military spending at the expense of human health and welfare, especially children’s rights.

As a part of this momentous conference, Debi Wexler, CEO of the premier online diamond retailer Whiteflash.com, presented the new Dreams of Africa™ pendant to WCCCI founder Betty Williams, a 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner, to support the company’s commitment to providing safe havens and educational opportunities for children. Signifying the beginning of a charitable partnership between the two organizations, 100% of the sales proceeds of this $4,400 conflict-free diamond pendant necklace (available exclusively at www.whiteflash.com) will be donated to the WCCCI in the creation and support of learning centers to provide a second chance for children to be educated about peace.

“Our Dreams of Africa™ are not for partial peace. They are for total peace,” Wexler said. “Betty and I are aligned in our vision to build safe and nurturing environments for children who need a second chance in life. If we start teaching peace at the beginning of these young childrens’ education, we will help these children to shine like brilliant diamonds for the world.”

Specifically, Whiteflash.com will focus on efforts to help children who have suffered from conflicts in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other African countries. Conflict or “blood” diamonds are illicitly smuggled diamonds, the sales of which are used to finance wars against countries’ legitimate governments.

“We need consumers to understand that there is a huge difference between blood diamonds and conflict-free diamonds,” said Wexler. “Not all diamonds are ill-gotten. When diamond mining is undertaken in the correct manner, without child labor or government conflict, the profits build infrastructure and serve as a source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of people. As a socially responsible design company in the diamond industry, we believe it is our duty to support children who have suffered under blood diamond conflicts and to create awareness in order to combat such illicit diamond trade.”

In coming months, Whiteflash.com and WCCCI will work to establish the first center for learning, headquartered in Italy, with the purpose of providing scholarships for children from Sierra Leone and other African countries, and to instill values of peace and understanding during these children’s’ early education. Land has already been donated by the Italian government to start these centers until hot spots of conflict stabilize in vulnerable areas of Africa.

Whiteflash.com and WCCCI will also work to develop a web site that features the Dreams of Africa™ pendant as well as information on the largely-successful United Nations resolution, the “Kimberly Process,” which uses rigorous tracking to ensure that illegal blood diamonds are not available for sale around the world.

Stars Shine with Whiteflash at Alzheimer’s Charity Gala

by Admin on September 28th, 2009

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of film legend Rita Hayworth, is a brilliant star in the fight against the disease which took her mother. On November 14 she shined her brightest in diamond jewelry from Whiteflash at the annual Rita Hayworth Gala; the world’s most successful fund raising event for Alzheimer’s Disease research.  Princess Yasmin wore the Whiteflash Mesh Bracelet featuring over 9 carats of Whiteflash ACA superideal sparklers in 9 dancing rows ($19,000). The ring was a 5 carat Whiteflash ACA Hearts & Arrows diamond in a platinum “Champaigne Pave” ($160,000).

Donna Dixon, wife of actor Dan Akroyd, looked splendid in a new “Whiteflash Signature W Necklace” and unique “Princess Whiteflash Earrings” sporting a pair of blinding 5 carat Princess-cut diamonds ($310,000). All told, Princess Yamin and Ms. Dixon will set the room ablaze in over a half-million dollars of Whiteflash diamond jewelry.

Whiteflash.com in association with the Mark Kearney Group also donated two “Dreams of Africa” diamond pendants to the Gala’s silent auction for a total of over $10,000. The Dreams of Africa program was launched in August: Whiteflash is donating 100 percent of profits from sales of a designer range of diamond jewelry and other merchandise to the victims of conflict diamonds in Africa. Whiteflash has partnered with Nobel Laureate Betty Williams’ charity, the WCCCI, to fund relief for children with no red tape or industry in the way. The company’s message to consumers: “As jewelry retailers and consumers we cannot change governments or politics, but we can turn diamonds into a gift for life.”

The 2006 Gala honored former Miss America and Alzheimer activist Phyllis George. Inspired by The Four Tops hit, the evening’s theme, “Reach out, I’ll be there,” featured a performance by Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald, and combined the music and magic of Motown with the renowned style and splendor of a Rita Hayworth Gala.

Since 1985, the Rita Hayworth Galas have raised more than $42 million for Alzheimer’s disease research and support programs.

About Whiteflash.com 

Whiteflash.com is the first company in the U.S. to offer an exclusive brand of Hearts & Arrows diamond and bring the sheer beauty of “super ideal cut” to the Internet. Debi Wexler, a computer entrepreneur, founded Whiteflash.com in 1999 bringing an expansive selection of loose diamonds to the Internet, including an exclusive brand of Hearts & Arrows diamonds. Whiteflash ACA is unmatched in its brilliance, fire and sparkle and remains the only Hearts & Arrows diamond sold online with advertised standards and a “true patterning” guarantee. Whiteflash.com also offers original, handcrafted platinum and gold settings, diamond engagement rings and wedding bands and custom designed jewelry. For more information, log on to www.whiteflash.com or call 877.612.6770.

Nigeria to finish mine licences review by end October

by Admin on September 28th, 2009

Nigeria will soon start granting a backlog of new mining licences and will complete a review of existing licences aimed at weeding out speculators by the end of October, officials said on Monday.

Boosting confidence in mining titles is a key plank of Nigeria’s campaign to revive its mining sector, which has languished in the shadow of a dominant oil industry.

“I should think that all issues involved with the revalidation exercise should be completed by the end of October,” Mines Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke told a presentation at the London Stock Exchange.

Fifty-four percent of the existing 2,303 holders of mining and exploration licences did not respond to a demand to submit documents to confirm they were qualified to hold the licences, Sheik Goni, director general of the Mining Cadastre Office, told the conference.

UK announces £5m aid for Zimbabwe

by Admin on September 25th, 2009

 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced an extra £5m ($8m) of aid to Zimbabwe after meeting his Zimbabwean counterpart Morgan Tsvangirai.

This takes the total this year to £60m ($98m) but Mr Brown said more money would only come after further reform.

He also said the aid would go through aid agencies, not the government in which Mr Tsvangirai shares power with President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe says it needs $8bn (£4.9bn) to revive its shattered economy.

Mr Tsvangirai has been on a tour of Europe and the US to ask for increased funding but many donors are still wary of sending money which could be misused by Mr Mugabe and his allies.

Under Mr Mugabe, relations between the UK and its former colony have become severely strained.

‘Irreversible change’

Some £4m ($6.5m) of the new money is to be channelled into food aid and agriculture, with the rest towards buying text books for Zimbabwean schools.

At their joint news conference in London, Mr Tsvangirai defended his decision to share power with President Mugabe in February.

Mr Tsvangirai said “irreversible change was now taking place in Zimbabwe towards a transition to democracy and elections”.

Mr Brown said it was the first time a British and a Zimbabwean prime minister had stood together in Downing Street for 25 years.

“I pay tribute today to your courage, your determination, your strength of character and your fortitude in this tragedy,” he said.

The British premier added: “There are great signs of progress, a budget and economic plan are in place, schools are reopening, children are once again filling the classrooms.

BBC ban lifted?

“As a result of the progress, we will increase our support to help Zimbabwe move from mere survival towards a genuine recovery.”

But he said that further money would only be forthcoming if “the reform programme on the ground gains momentum”.

He called for more economic reforms, an improvement in human rights, media freedom, the scrapping of repressive laws and an end to the invasion of white-owned farms, reports the Reuters news agency.

Mr Tsvangirai had been expected to ask Mr Brown to lift sanctions against Mr Mugabe and his officials but there was no change in this stance. These include a travel ban and assets freeze.

Up to half the population - some four million people - is believed to need food aid after years of economic meltdown.

Mr Tsvangirai also told the news conference that he hoped the ban on the BBC operating in Zimbabwe would be rescinded soon.

He said media reforms were being implemented and that the BBC should “look forward to coming to operate in Zimbabwe openly, and not secretly”.

Last week, Amnesty International said that the human rights situation in Zimbabwe remained “precarious” despite the power-sharing government.

Opposition and civil rights activists continue to be arrested by the security forces, which are still largely controlled by Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party.

On Saturday, Zimbabwe’s prime minister was booed by Zimbabwean exiles in London when he urged them to return to the country.

Many were bitter that, following years of outspoken opposition to the Zimbabwe government, he had decided to join it and offer public support to Mr Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai is due to round off his visit to Europe and the US - his first official tour since becoming prime minister - with a stop in Paris on Wednesday before returning home.

Zimbabwe says mines minister denied British visa

by Admin on September 25th, 2009

 

  

Britain has denied Zimbabwe’s mines minister a visa for a mining investment conference in London, fuelling anger in President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party over Western sanctions on its officials.

Mugabe formed a unity government in February with arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister, to try to end an economic and political crisis worsened by last year’s disputed presidential poll. Tsvangirai is in London as part of a Western tour to drum up financial support for Zimbabwe’s new government.

But on Tuesday, a Harare government official said Britain had refused Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu a visa — under European Union travel sanctions against Mugabe and his top associates.

The minister was due to address a London conference on mining investment opportunities in the mineral-rich country.

“The minister did not get a visa and in our view all this does not make sense except to confirm that some people in London are pursuing their fight against ZANU-PF,” the official said.

“They are trying to undermine the inclusive government with this sort of attitude.”

A representative of the Zimbabwean High Commission in London said Mpofu had been excluded because he was on the British government’s banned list as a member of Mugabe’s circle.

Denis Worrall, chairman of Omega Investment Mining Partners and one of the conference organisers, said Mpofu was absent because he had been denied a visa.

The British Foreign Office said it could not comment on individual visa applications, but it said Mpofu was subject to the EU travel ban.

“The EU measures allow exemptions to attend inter-governmental meetings for political dialogue which promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe,” a Foreign Office statement said.

“Under this provision, the UK waived the travel ban for two ministers subject to EU measures and included in Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s delegation — Foreign Minister (Simbarashe) Mumbengegwi and Tourism Minister (Walter) Muzembi,” it said.

Mpofu was not part of Tsvangirai’s delegation, it said.

Some conference delegates criticised the decision, comparing it unfavourably with Britain’s improved relations with Libya.

“Colonel (Muammar) Gaddafi has been rehabilitated. If he can be rehabilitated, who can’t? Zimbabwe does not have a Lockerbie on its books,” said Andrew Cranswick, CEO of African Consolidated Resources, a company with investments in Zimbabwe.

Africa Minister Mark Malloch-Brown said last week it was too early to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe but said there was room for flexibility in allowing ZANU-PF ministers to travel to Britain.

Britain pledged 5 million pounds ($8 million) to Zimbabwe on Monday but made clear more reforms were needed before it would start large-scale development aid to the shattered country.