CHAPTER 11
ANY OTHER MATTERS CONSIDERED RELEVANT
11.A written and oral evidence received by the commission
11.1 In submission 11, Mr G D Brown accuses De Beers of :-
(i) being involved in illicit diamond buying in Namibia;
(ii) being involved in overmining, transfer pricing (under valuation) and land locking activities in Namibia (also with reference to Kleinsee in South Africa), before the new Namibian Government came into power.
(iii) Discriminatory practices in Namibia.
Other accusations are, amongst others :-
(iv) the people in the country are not informed about agreements reached in the diamond industry.
(v) India uses cheap child labour in their diamond cutting industry.
Mr Brown addressed a letter to the President, dated 1996-03-21, besides his verbal submission. He complains about being subjected to unfair human right abuses by De Beers and their supporters in the apartheid Government, in respect of his profession, a diamond merchant.
11.2 In submission 2 discontent is expressed by Mr J A Absolom, a factory worker, with employment conditions, in particular wages, housing benefits, pension fund, medical fund and the pensionable age. He is of the opinion that workers cannot afford to belong to the Diamond Workers’ Union.
11.3 Mr A B Mchunu and Mr E J Mngomezulu, small-scale diamond entrepreneurs, in submission 58, request financial assistance in order to start a diamond company for dealing and polishing diamonds. They also requested a licence.
11.4 Earthlife Africa, in submission 36, requests that the Commission should investigate the role that South African diamond capital has in the exploitation of children in India’s diamond cutting and polishing industry.
11.B ISSUES ALREADY ATTENDED TO
11.5 Mr G D Brown (submission 11)
The terms of reference of the Commission refer to the South African Diamond Industry, and Namibian matters are therefor excluded and should not be commented on.
The diamond industry is getting extensive press coverage and the general public has no reason not to be well informed about the industry. Reference is made to the press statement of the Minister of Minerals and Energy on 1999-05-05, where subjects like valuations, the GDV, section 59 agreements, export duty and corporate governance in the Diamond Board were dealt with.
The statement regarding child labour in India falls outside the scope of the Commission’s terms of reference.
The other accusations made by Mr Brown is a private matter between the two parties and need not to be commented on.
11.6 Mr A B Mchunu and Mr E J Mngomezulu (submission 58)
The Chairperson of the Commission has recommended that the Small Business Development Corporation be approached for finance, and that an application for a licence be lodged with the Diamond Board.
11.C OUTSTANDING ISSUES
11.7 Mr J A Absolom (submission 2)
It is suggested that the complaints regarding employment conditions and the statement that diamond industry workers cannot afford to belong to the Diamond Workers’ Union be forwarded to the Union for investigation and comments.
11.8 Earthlife Africa has called upon the Commission to investigate the role of South African diamond capital in the alleged exploitation of children in India’s diamond cutting and polishing industry and to investigate what legal recourse the Government should take for the continued support of South African diamond companies that profit from the use of child labour to cut and polish diamonds.