Opposition lawmakers are intensifying pressure on the government to ensure transparency and accountability in the diamond sector. The interest comes after the violent diamond heist at NAMDIA on January 18.

The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) is the latest to join the bandwagon of those demanding answers, with its Member of Parliament, Agnes Tjiramba, submitting a series of questions to Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo.

Tjiramba is seeking clarity on the state of Namibia’s diamond-polishing industry.

She wants a comprehensive status update on all 14 diamond polishing companies, including their operational capacity, the number of Namibians employed in strategic positions, and their contributions to polishing and exports.

Tjiramba is also demanding answers on what measures the Ministry has taken to ensure these companies engage in beneficiation rather than merely exporting rough and polished diamonds.

Additionally, she wants Alweendo to explain how the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) regulates the industry to ensure equitable access to rough diamonds for local polishers.

She further enquires about policy interventions to increase local value addition and job creation and strengthen Namibia’s global standing in the diamond market.

The push for accountability comes amid growing frustration in Parliament over what opposition parties perceive as government inaction following the high-profile diamond heist at NAMDIA.

On Wednesday, official opposition leader McHenry Venaani directed an urgent oral question to the Prime Minister, accusing the government of remaining silent despite what he described as the “looting of natural resources.”