South Africa's diamond mining industry has left the indigenous Nama community impoverished, despite their ancestral land being rich in minerals. The Nama, descendants of the Khoi and San, once herders and traders, have seen their land taken and their rights to it disputed. The discovery of diamonds in the 1920s led to a diamond rush, but the Nama were cleared from the land around the Orange River. The new government maintained the position that the diamond wealth should be shared with the rest of the country, but the Nama argue that they have yet to see any benefit. The community has faced a five-year legal battle with the state and the state-owned mining company, Alexkor, which ended in the Constitutional Court ruling in their favor. However, the community alleges that they have not profited from the deal or any wealth generated over the decades, despite the ruling. The issue of what has happened to the money handed over to the CPA was raised at a recent parliamentary hearing, with concerns over the CPA's functionality and the lack of support from relevant national departments. The community leader, Mr. Fredericks, has begun legal action against the CPA, saying that it was not properly constituted. The environmental damage left behind by commercial mining is also a concern, with abandoned mines and little sign of rehabilitation. The community argues that the government should return what is theirs, and they are taking legal action to ensure their rights are respected.
