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SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF MINERAL RESOURCES, MS
SUSAN SHABANGU(MP) AT THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS
CERTIFICATION SCHEME PLENARY MEETING HELD IN
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, FROM THE 19TH
TO 22ND
NOVEMBER 2013
Kimberley Process Chairperson, His ExcellencyAmbassador Welile
Nhlapo
Honourable Minister Francisco Queiros from the Republic of Angola
Honourable Minister Djono-Ahaba from the Central African Republic
Honourable Minister Jean-Claude Brou from Cote d’Ivoire
Honourable Minister Walter Chidakwa from the Republic of
Zimbabwe

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Honourable Vice Minister Wei Chuanzhon from the People’s
Republic of China; and
Honourable Deputy Minister Stephen Dorbor from the Republic of
Liberia
Deputy Chair of the KP, the People’s Republic of China
Delegations from Participant Governments
Observers from the Association of African Diamond Producing
Countries
The Delegation of the World Diamond Council
Members of the KP Civil Society Coalition
Representatives of the Diamond Development Initiative
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Members of the media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to our beautiful
and friendly city of Johannesburg, situated in the Gauteng Province,
which means “City of Gold”. It is in this part of the country where the
Gold-rush started in the 18th
Century, which has contributed
towards shapingthe economicgrowth of our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, you will vividly recall that 10 years ago, we
were at the vergeof collapsing into an abyss as deep as the
Kimberley hole itself but we collectively chose a constructive and
inclusive path of reaffirming the sinigificance of the diamond

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industry in our respective countries. Ten (10) years later, we again
congregate, looking back at the job well done and looking forward
at the important work we still have to do. The diamond industry has
been on a rollercoaster ride since the global financial crisis, and the
years between 2009 through to 2012 have presented a challenging
period for all participants across the diamond value chain.
This year’s Plenary meeting holds more significance than ever, as
the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on Reform will set the tone
onhow the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) ensues
going forward. There has been robust engagement amongst
ourselves over the past few years on these reforms, which made us
introspect rather deeply about our foundingobjectives and the
extent to which we have lived up to the this promise.The most
significant observation during this time is that the Kimberley
Process is indeed an inclusive process that does not ignore the
voices of the smaller and emerging participants in its deliberations
of such important matters. This further confirmed the robust
founding statues of the KP, which are premised on an arduous
consensus-building process that is enshrined in our democratic
principles.
The argument still stands, that the KPCS cannot be seen to be
duplicating the works of other organisations, especially those that
complement the KPCS, namely the System of Warranties
developed by the World Diamond Council (WDC) to extend the
Kimberley Process conflict-free assurance to polished

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diamonds,and to provide a means by which consumers can be
assured that their diamonds are from conflict-free sources.
The Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices is another
institution, founded in May 2005 with Members from the diamond
and gold jewellery supply chain, from mine to retail. The Council is
committed to promoting responsible business practices in a
transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry from
mine to retail.
Those are just two of many organisations that have an oversight
responsibility over the industry, notwithstandingsovereign
responsibility of each member country to develop and invoke the
appropriatelegislative framework to regulate the mining sector,
including diamond-mining and trade. The former British Prime
Minister,Winston Churchill said it best when he stated: “If you have
ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law”.
I must commend the United States of Americaand the Republic of
Angola on their efforts toensure that the Washington Declaration
finds meaning and relevance inmatters surrounding small-scale
mining. Artisanal small-scale mining poses challenges for any
country and could stem from difficulties in achieving regulatory
oversight of a large number of small operations, including concerns
such as security of land tenure for artisanal miners, to enforcement
of environmental and safety standards, and chief amongst them,
access to start-up capital.

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The Bain Report of 2013 affirms that the industry presently has
sufficient diamond reserves to sustain production for 18 years, with
70% of those reserves found in Africa and Russia respectively.The
question then becomes: how do we ensure thatAfrica and the entire
diamond industry benefits from the abundance of this resource?
The June 2013 seminar on the Washington Declaration afforded
participants a platform to share their practices and challenges within
artisanal and small-scale mining, after all it is through such dialogue
that we are able to develop common policies geared towards
creating a better environment to all citizens alike. For Africa’s
minerals sector to be knowledge-based and vibrant, it is vital to
learn and study best practice of peer jurisdictions,and to develop
partnership mechanisms that benefit both parties. This is significant,
as it marks an important departure from the well-entrenched
historical practice ofsome parties benefiting exclusively at the
expense of others. This model of partnership has already
demonstrated that it is not sustainable and must be abandoned with
immediate effect.
In our efforts to improve on the quality of life within the sector,
especially in African producing countries, KP should endeavour to
build relations and work jointly with the African Union, which has
developed and adoptedthe “African Mining Vision”. Its key objective
is to achieve a “transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of

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mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and
socio-economic development”
The vision is inscribed upon shared value principles comprising,
inter alia:
• A knowledge-driven African mining sector that catalyses and
contributes to the broad-based growth and development of,
and is fully integrated into, a single African market through:
o Downstream linkages into mineral beneficiation and
manufacturing,
o Up-stream linkages into mining capital goods,
o Side-stream linkages into mining capital goods,
consumables and services industries,
o Side-stream linkages into infrastructure (power, logistics,
communications and water) as well as skills and
technology development ; and
o Mutually beneficial partnerships between the state,
private sector, civil society, local communities and other
stakeholders.
The African Diamond Producers’ Association is created within the
context of the African Mining Vision, with specific focus on
diamonds. This Association has an important role to contribute to
the orderly, value-creating development of diamonds on the African
continent. It is important for such formations as the Kimberley
Process to recognise and work closely with this formidable African

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Association that seeks to determine the fate of diamond
development in the African Continent to benefit the people of the
continent and to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with
foreign investors.
History has shown us that when countries engage in a collaborative
effort for a common good, sustainability is well within reach. As we
sketch the way forward, let us bear in mind the following: that
“Sometimes when you innovate, you may make mistakes. It is best
to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other
innovations (Steve Jobs)
As South Africa, we support the candidacy of Angola as the Vice
Chair for 2014, and therefore the KP Chair for 2015.
I’d like to encourage participants to be vigilant in their discussions,
which are going to ensue during this plenary session and to take
stock of the journey travelled for the past ten years. The KPCS
family needs to identify shortcomings encountered and come-up
with mechanisms, which will sharpen our organisation’s efficacy as
part of the preparation for the next decade to be characterised by
the strengthening of the diamond industry and economies of the
participating countries, in order to ensure maximum benefits from
this glittering stone.
I thank you