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KWANELE HLABANGANA

Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
THE diamond seminar that was set for Bulawayo last Friday has been postponed to a later date next month due to under- subscription of the event. Organisers of the event, Afrimond Diamond and Jewellery Institute, said the seminar would now be held in Victoria Falls.

Business consultant and Afrimond Diamond country representative Kwanele Hlabangana said:

“We had set a target of more than 50 delegates only 20 people confirmed attending the seminar.

“The response we got from the Bulawayo community was disappointing. We couldn’t go along with the seminar since the costs we were to incur in hosting the seminar could not be covered with such a low turnout”.

He said the Bulawayo community should desist from sticking to the “tried and tested”.

“There is a tendency in Bulawayo to be suspicious of new things. People want to stick to what they know, which is not always right. For us, as Zimbabweans, to reach new dimensions and discover greater potential we’ve to explore new areas, such as mineral beneficiation,” Hlabangana said.

He said the diamond seminar aimed at creating platforms for local companies to benefit and participate in economic empowerment programmes presented by value addition and beneficiation.

The seminar was also set to tackle the economic opportunities brought by the discovery of diamonds in Zimbabwe.

Skill development, the diamond regulation system and how entrepreneurs and those interested in diamonds can access information relating to the acquisition of diamond licences were among other issues to be discussed.

The country’s diamond production rose to a peak of about 12 million carats in 2012, and the share of Africa’s production stood at 15, two percent by volume in 2013.

Of late, the mining industry has become Zimbabwe major economic mainstay.

Against this background, government envisages that the mining sector offers scope for significant contribution to supporting the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-economic Transformation growth rate targets of over six percent annually.

The country’s mining sector is anchored by resources such as gold, platinum and diamonds.