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12 Feb 2023

StarGems’has partnered with Harry  Oppenheimer Diamond Training School  empower Batswana through education, hands-on experience and employment.

 The company which identified itself as a leading player in the manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing and auctioning of diamonds and jewellery established its operation in Gaborone in 2022.

 Briefing the media on Friday, StarGems Head of Manufacturing, Mr Sandeep Kolambekar said the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School  provided training in diamond manufacturing and evaluation sectors.

 Mr Kolambekar said the school was certified by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to run ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System and was an Authorised Training Provider (ATP) for the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA).

“Through our CSR we hope to run a number of training throughout the year that will empower both our employees and the citizens.

 We are committed to this pursuit hence why we are dedicated to paying a service fee of P1.5 million to the school each year,” he said.

He said the free courses offered would include Rough Diamond Valuation, Diamond Essentials and Polishing Training, and said their plan was to provide jobs for all training as their company scaled up.

Mr Kolambekar reiterated that employment creation was the first step that his company took and they were looking forward to creating more.

He added that beginning March 2023 they would be up-skilling 60 Batswana with rough diamond valuation, polishing training and diamond essentials courses, saying  that their goal was to work closely with government and relevant authorities to curb the rate of unemployment.

“StarGems also believes in CSR and has made an impact in every community it has found itself in. We are also aware that there is a high rate of poverty in rural areas, through our CSR and training project we promise to empower the rural communities,” he said.

Mr Kolambekar said the group introduced the first Da Vinci Diamond Factory in Botswana which contained three major operations, cutting, bruting and faceting.

He said the factory carried out all essential manufacturing workflows including the entire rough-to-polish process.

Meanwhile, Mr Kolambekar said Botswana’s diamond mining sector was one of the most robust in the world and said they wanted to take it to even greater heights through the introduction of top of the range technology.

“We will be sourcing from DeBeers, Okavango Diamond Company, and subsidiary companies. The company expects to process 2 000 to 3 000 carats of rough diamonds monthly,” he said.

Mr Kolambekar said this criterion reflected their commitment and vision for diamond beneficiation in Botswana and the entire Southern African region. ENDS