A court ruling has vindicated South Africa government’s role in monitoring movement of unpolished diamonds, thereby effectively putting an end to the illegal practices at tender houses.
The ruling states that section 20A of the Diamonds Act, 1986 (as amended) is not unconstitutional, said a statement from the Department of Mineral Resources issued on Tuesday.
Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane has welcomed the ruling.
“The highest Court in the land has upheld the transformative provisions in the Diamonds Act, which bodes well for our efforts to sustainably and meaningfully transform the diamonds sector specifically, and the mining industry broadly,” Minister Zwane said in a statement.
The judgment was handed down by the Constitutional Court on Monday in the matter between the South African Diamond Producers’ Organisation versus the Minister of Minerals and Energy N.O. and Others.
The Minister views the decision as a positive move for the advancement of transformation of the mining industry.
