JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The De Beers group has celebrated another milestone in its 125-year history, with the start of rough diamond sales to international sightholders in Gaborone, on Monday.
The company said in a statement that the relocation of sights from London to Southern Africa underpinned the long-term future of the partnership between De Beers and Botswana, and was another significant step in the country’s transformation into one of the world’s most significant diamond centres.
The project to relocate international sights from London to Gaborone was carried out over two years and was completed ahead of schedule and below budget, involving the migration of people, technology and systems by the global diamond group.
The move was expected to serve as a catalyst for economic growth across the Southern African region, which had become the world’s primary source of rough diamonds sales, creating further employment opportunities in ancillary services such as banking, security, information technology and supply chain.
Around 200 representatives of the world’s leading diamantaires were due to attend the sight at the De Beers offices, in Gaborone, this week, where a new $35-million facility had been established.
“The relocation of our sightholder sales activity to Botswana, and the opening of this new facility today, are a further demonstration of our clear commitment to beneficiation and to our partner’s aspirations to transform Botswana into one of the world’s leading diamond centres,” CEO Philippe Mellier said.
The group noted that the building where the sight was hosted was a sophisticated diamond sorting, valuing and sales facility and provided an “excellent” environment for De Beers’ global client base.