‘Petra Diamonds delays release of probe into human rights’ 30 March 2021

Petra Diamonds (LON: PDL) has delayed the publication of an internal probe into alleged human rights abuses at its Williamson mine in Tanzania after obtaining fresh information related to the case. The company had originally committed to provide feedback on an investigation being carried out by an external adviser, in conjunction with its legal advisers, by the end of March.

…The announcement comes only days after UK-based corporate watchdog RAID revealed it had further evidence of alleged abuses at the diamond mine. The non-profit organization published a new report on March 25 that included dozens of eyewitness accounts on how security guards employed at Williamson allegedly abused their power…The diamond miner, which also has three operations in South Africa, formed in February an internal committee to oversee the ongoing investigation. The move came after UK-based law firm Leigh Day filed a lawsuit against the company in the High Court of England on behalf of 32 anonymous individuals.

The Williamson mine, active since 1940, is in Shinyanga, one of Tanzania’s poorest regions. It produced a 54.5-carat pink diamond presented to Queen Elizabeth for her wedding in 1947…Petra has dealt with the incursion of illegal miners at its operations before. Last year, it opened up some of its Koffiefontein mine’s tailings in South Africa to small scale miners. The move aimed at tackling illegal activities and solved some issues caused by artisanal miners at the asset. It previously carried out a similar exercise at Kimberley, in Northern Cape, where small scale miners operated “the floors” of the property — an area previously worked by Kimberley’s founding miners.