OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 4.35pm
FORMER president Nelson Mandela warned on Wednesday that a proposed consumer-led boycott of diamonds could ravage southern African economies.
”If there is a boycott of diamonds, the economies of especially two countries, Namibia and Botswana, will collapse and we want to avoid that,” Mandela said. Human rights organisations such as Britain-based Global Witness have raised the prospect of a consumer boycott against diamonds which they say have helped stoke civil wars across Africa, particularly in Angola and Sierra Leone.
The ”Fatal Transactions” campaign pulled together four European non-governmental organisations last month to stop rebel armies in Africa using diamond sales to fund their military.
The group has urged consumers to ask diamond firms such as De Beers what they are doing to stop the region’s conflicts which have claimed countless lives. ”The diamond industry is vital to the South African and southern African economy. We would be concerned that an international campaign on these issues does not damage this vital industry,” Mandela said.
”Rather than boycotts being instituted, it is preferable that through our own initiatives the industry takes a progressive stance on human rights issues.” Diamonds are a vital revenue source for many southern African states, notably Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Angola.
Botswana is the world’s biggest diamond producer in terms of value and earns around $2-billion a year from gem sales, representing 75% of its export earnings.
Mandela said he welcomed a decision by De Beers to stop buying virtually all gems from Angola which have helped fuel a 25-year civil war there. — Reuters