DA Walks out at State Diamond Trader's failure to answer questions 

22 October 2014

The State Diamond Trader (SDT) has refused to answer a DA question for almost two years. 

On the 24th of October 2012 I asked the CEO, P Zikalala, to explain who the biggest buyers of diamonds from the SDT were. I asked for the company names and volumes. She undertook to send the information.

At various meetings I have repeated the question to no avail. At a meeting on the 2nd July this year the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources recorded my request for this information in its minutes. A reply in writing was subsequently received, but ignored the request to provide names of companies.

When the SDT appeared before the committee again this morning to answer questions on its annual report, I asked for the information, before they presented. This was not forthcoming and ANC members on the committee declared they believed the SDT should be given another chance to address the issue.

This is completely unacceptable. State entities are supposed to account to parliament. The SDT's failure to say who their biggest clients are, raises questions about what they are trying to hide. On the basis that they are not making full disclosure, we believe their account to Parliament has no credibility.

My colleague Hendrik Schmidt and I left the meeting as we believe the SDT cannot be trusted to fully disclose its activities and thus is effectively misleading parliament. The DA will pursue this matter until it has the answer.

We believe parliament has only itself to blame for the decline in its authority that will be caused by allowing state entities to defy accountability.

Statement issued by James Lorimer MP, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources, October 22 2014

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