Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane has welcomed a ruling which states that section 20A of the Diamonds Act, 1986 (as amended) is not unconstitutional.
The ruling confirmed the legitimacy of government’s authority to monitor the movement of unpolished diamonds, thereby effectively putting an end to the illegal practices at tender houses, the Department of Mineral Resources said.
“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 on Tuesday 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. – SAnews.gov.za
