Global diamond manufacturer and trader Pluczenik Diamond Company has made a re-entry into the South African market by partnering with a local entrepreneur to open a diamond cutting and polishing facility in Bedfordview.

Pluczenik was initially established in South Africa in 1948, before migrating its headquarters to Belgium a few decades later. It also has diamond manufacturing facilities in Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho.

The new partnership between Nungu Diamonds founder Kealeboga Pule and Pluczenik resulted from an enterprise development programme of diamond miner De Beers. Pule will serve as Pluczenik South Africa MD.

Pluczenik is one of the largest buyers of rough diamonds globally and has been a De Beers sightholder for more than 60 years. Pluczenik cuts some of the rarest and most exceptional diamonds in the world, which puts any affiliate with the company in good stead of gaining valuable skills.

De Beers had five South African diamond cutting and polishing companies graduate from the first phase of its Enterprise Development Project in 2019, after launching in 2016, with the aim of transforming the cutting and polishing industry in South Africa.

Pule comments that a partnership such as that between himself, as a small business owner, and a corporate group is not just good for the diamond industry, but for the whole of South Africa, in that it encompasses a positive story where previously disadvantaged individuals are not just bystanders but active participants in the trade from mine to market.

He believes that diamonds ought to be improving the lives of South Africans, through the right partnerships and dedication.

Pule explains that the Bedfordview facility has created 30 new jobs, with South Africans having been skilled in the cutting and polishing of diamonds, while Pluczenik CEO Chaim Pluczenik foresees the facility growing to employ 200 people in due course, similar to the group’s diamond factory in Botswana.

Pluczenik believes the facility helps South Africa meet its beneficiation objectives and supports communities, particularly as diamonds have had a long history and heritage in the country. 

Belgium Ambassador to South Africa Didier Vanderhasselt has also expressed his support for the partnership, saying diamond trade and traceability of the value chain is immensely important for Belgium. About 49% of South Africa’s exports to Belgium comprise precious gemstones.

South African Diamonds and Precious Metals Regulator CEO Cecil Khosa says localisation is key to reigniting the South Africa economy, and hopes to see this initiative serving as an example for how small businesses or entrepreneurs can partner with large players in the mining industry.

He says the partnership is testament to large corporates’ successful enterprise development and job creation programmes, adding that the factory helps bridge the local diamond manufacturing shortfall, as well as enables access to markets and sharing of technical skills.

De Beers global sightholder sales executive VP Paul Rowley says De Beers has been on a beneficiation promotion journey for many years, not just to get diamonds polished, but to make the industry more sustainable.

De Beers will be supplying rough diamonds for cutting and polishing to Pluczenik South Africa.