De Beers donated the Harry Oppenheimer House (HOH) in Kimberley to the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) during an event at the 14-storey building on Friday, 24 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This follows the January 2023 relocation of De Beers\u2019 Sightholder Sales business to Johannesburg. The building was in operation since 1974 and used to sort diamonds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SPU will keep the building\u2019s name and dedicate one storey to a diamond sorting museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof. Andrew Crouch, vice-chancellor, said the SPU polishes diamonds by educating and shaping young students. The building will accommodate his office, the department of Institutional Advancement, and others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move will free up his and other offices in the Luca Jantjies building for other administrative personnel, and the Centre for Continuous Professional Development that is driving the university\u2019s short-course platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have over 4 000 students and 600 staff members. One day, we will have 20 000 students. We receive 38 000 good-quality applications each year from all over the country. The SPU is known for its advanced data science programmes,\u201d said Crouch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe donation will help us grow. We will open a geology faculty in 2025, that might transform into mine engineering.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He hopes De Beers will play a role in this project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are establishing an agricultural faculty next year, which is important for food security in a water-stressed environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crouch said the university, which turns ten years old next year, has transformed Kimberley from a mining city to a university city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Northern Cape premier, Dr Zamani Saul, said one must not be uncritical of good deeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen De Beers left Kimberley, it had a massive, negative impact on the economy. Exploitation and extraction must be mitigated. The building could be converted into a faculty for mine engineering, funded by De Beers. The Council of Geoscience has in the past three years spent more than 50% of their budget with explorations here. With more than 60 minerals in the province, we can mine for a 100 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is abject poverty and associated social problems in the John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) district where there are 36 manganese and iron ore mines. Saul describes it as a tragedy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moses Madondo, managing director of the De Beers group\u2019s managed operations, says De Beers is still investing and contributing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are not going elsewhere, we are investing. We have been waiting for permission to invest billions in certain ventures, but have been waiting for government approval on several sites for many years. Maybe the premier can assist us in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He mentioned that the Canadian government was extremely accommodating and \u201cpleading\u201d to have De Beers operating in the Manitoba province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey recognise our value and what we can bring. Remember that investment follows where it is not too complicated to set up operations. Diamonds were in Kimberley for millions of years, but companies like De Beers created an economy around it and created value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy donating this building to the SPU, we have invested in a human sparkle and help to create a long-term future for young students. The donation will have a long-lasting impact on the future of the province.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
De Beers donated the Harry Oppenheimer House (HOH) in Kimberley to the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) during an event at the 14-storey building on Friday, 24 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