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With the global economic concerns putting pressure on many national and international trade concerns and entities, especially in the trade of high-value luxury goods, it is important to consider the South African diamond industry in modern times. The mining sector and the diamond industry have traditional relevance to the South African economy. This paper will consider diamond law in light of the licensing processes pertaining to mineral rights and diamond trade in modern South Africa. The purpose of this analysis is to consider whether or not the policy considerations of modern diamond law in South Africa have been supportive of the growth and development of the industry, especially in light of the more humane and inclusive provisions of the Diamonds Act 56 of 1986 and the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002, which seek to enhance local mining and beneficiation of diamonds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the development of diamond mining and trading in Chiadzwa, a communal area in Marange, Zimbabwe. It also examines the nature of the state and its role in the early dynamics of diamond exploitation. Mining development in Chiadzwa had far-reaching political, economic, cultural and moral, as well as epidemiological, demographic and environmental, implications for the Marange landscape. This article unravels the activities surrounding illicit diamond activities in Marange, revealing the different interests involved, their interaction with the state and their impact on the landscape of the diamondiferous area. From March 2006, Chiadzwa – located some 80 kilometres from the eastern town of Mutare – literally and metaphorically became a terrain of contestation following the ‘discovery’ of diamonds. Numerous interests converged on the area seeking to exploit the diamonds, systematically displacing the interests and hegemony of the original, mostly apostolic, inhabitants of Marange. The discovery also unleashed state violence on these groups, who evolved coping strategies in their efforts to continue benefiting from the resource, until a decisive police and army operation, ‘Dzokera Kumusha’ (Go Back Home), violently expelled the majority of artisanal miners from Chiadzwa in January 2009. This operation was an attempt by the state to regulate the diamond mining and trading process, in order to allow the registered mining companies it favoured to move in and start mining operations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The temporary suspension of diamond exports in Ghana in 2006 and 2007 is arguably the most significant move to address mounting criticisms of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), an international initiative aimed at stemming the flow of rough diamonds used to finance wars. The ban, which took effect in November 2006, was much praised, particularly in civil society circles, where it continues to be seen as a genuine effort to prevent the smuggling of ‘conflict diamonds’. At the time, Ghana was accused of harbouring stones originating from rebel-held territories in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. No evidence was found in support of the case that it was a repository for ‘conflict diamonds’, however, and exports resumed early in March 2007. This article examines the context for the accusations of Ghana’s implication in the smuggling of illicit diamonds, and draws on recent fieldwork to explain how the suspension has affected Akwatia, the country’s main diamondiferous area. The actions taken raise important questions about how suspected violators – particularly smaller diamond-producing nations – of the KPCS should be handled, and underscore how global compacts can have a host of negative repercussions at the village level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information on the developments in the diamond mining industry in the Central African Republic. It reports that the Gem Diamonds expects to begin diamond production in 2008 in the Central African Republic, where it hopes to mine some 100, 000 carats a year. It notes that the company began exploration in it 800 square kilometer concession in April 2007 and beginning of production would mark the country's first commercial diamond mining operation. It suggests that the country has hundreds of thousands of artisan miners but it has been slowed by instability since its independence from France in 1960 and is trying to attract investors. It adds that the Gem Diamonds already produces diamonds in Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia.