JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Democratic Alliance (DA) would continue to pursue a declaration from the State Diamond Trader (SDT) on who its biggest buyers are, DA shadow Minister of Mineral Resources James Lorimer has said.
He noted in a statement that the DA had been pursuing this matter since October 2012, when the party first asked for the names of the SDT’s diamond buyers and the volumes being bought.
According to Lorimer, SDT CEO Futhi Zikalala had, at that stage, undertaken to send the information to the DA.
“At various meetings, I have repeated the question to no avail. At a meeting on July 2, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources recorded my request for this information in its minutes. A reply in writing was subsequently received, but ignored the request to provide names of companies,” he stated.
When the SDT appeared before the portfolio committee again on October 22, the DA reiterated its request.
“This was not forthcoming and ANC members on the committee declared they believed the SDT should be given another chance to address the issue,” Lorimer said, adding that he, along with his colleague Hendrik Schmidt had then left the meeting as it believed the SDT’s refusal to disclose its activities was in effect misleading Parliament.
“The SDT’s failure to say who [its] biggest clients are, raises questions about what [it is] trying to hide. On the basis that [it is] not making full disclosure, we believe [its] account to Parliament has no credibility,” he said.
The SDT could not be reached for comment.