Hold De Beers to Account for its Legacy of Environmental Devastation.
In 1933, De Beers began to mine in the West Coast of South Africa's Northern Cape Province. Since then, the company has extracted more than 31 million carats of diamonds from the area.
While hugely profitable for Cecil Rhodes and his successors, the Namaqualand Mines have devastated both the environment and the local community.
Today, as Andreas Spath points out, "Mining activities have left an area the size of approximately 2,000 football fields disturbed and un-rehabilitated."
At the same time, the local community of Hondeklipbaai faces an unemployment rate of 80%, on hugely profitable land, which they argue was theirs to begin with.
As David Markus, a community leader in Hondekilpbaai, puts it: "The slogan of De Beers is ' A Diamonds is Forever.' The reality in our area is that suffering is forever."
De Beers is currently trying to sell the mines to Trans Hex, a much smaller company, without meeting its obligations under South African law.
Please sign this petition to ensure that the enormously profitable De Beers does not dodge its legal obligations to the people and to the land.
Before you attempt to sell your mines at Namaqualand, we the undersigned ask that you restore the lands to their previous condition and help to address the crippling rates of poverty faced by the local community.
Since the closure of your mines, the local community of Hondekilpbaai faces an unemployment rate of 80%, and at least 42 rare plant species will soon be extinct.
The Namaqualand Mines also rest on lands that are potentially not yours to sell. The local population considers these lands to be their ancestral heritage. We therefore ask that you do not sell the Namaqualand Mines until the local population has made their case before the courts.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
