De Beers’ footprint fading away
ANOTHER part of De Beers’ footprint in Kimberley is set to fade away after the company announced yesterday that it is selling its Technical Training Centre, which was opened 45 years ago to train artisans.
De Beers spokesperson Innocent Mabusela confirmed yesterday that the company had informed its employees at the Technical Training Centre (TTC) in Kimberley that, following a review of the TTC’S business model, the company had taken a decision to sell the centre to Artisan Training Institute.
“The review process was initiated as a result of the company’s reducing footprint in South Africa with the closure of Voorspoed Mine.”
Mabusela added that the review process had considered three options: the TTC operating as is; sale to a third party as a going concern; and a management buy-out as suggested by employees at the TTC.
“The decision to sell the TTC as a going concern to an institution that has the financial and technical training capability, is based on our undertaking not to compromise the TTC’S position as one of the leading training institutions in South Africa, the relationship it has with its committed clients and securing the employment of our staff who have been central to the success of the centre. Selling the TTC as a going concern will ensure that employees are transferred to the new owner on similar employment conditions they currently have with De Beers Group”.
He stated further that during the review process, the company engaged with several institutions that indicated an interest in the TTC. “We selected the Artisan Training Institute as it demonstrated the capability to ensure that the TTC continues to operate as one of the leading training institutions in the country.
“Following a management buyout in 2008, ATI has qualified in excess of 17 000 artisans in 15 different engineering trades and currently has two campuses in Gauteng and Kwazulu-natal. With an impressive list of clients that includes some of the leading mining and engineering companies in South Africa, ATI also outlined plans to implement initiatives that are focused on youth development in the Northern Cape. ATI is Level 2 BBBEE contributor with 66% black women ownership,” Mabusela said.
“Our commitment is to work together with ATI to ensure a smooth transition for the benefit of our TTC colleagues, Kimberley and the mining industry at large. The sale process is likely to be concluded within the next two months, engagements with our TTC colleagues will be critical during this period of change.”
In a statement issued in October last year, De Beers stated that it was proud of the milestones that the TTC had accomplished over the last 45 years in training artisans across South Africa.
“The company has not indicated any intention of closing the facility and remains confident of the facility’s ability to provide world-class training. De Beers is currently going through a review of its business model of the TTC and will inform its staff in the event of changes to its current operating model,” it stated.
De Beers meanwhile said yesterday that it had not made any decision to relocate the Sightholder Sales (the former Diamond Sorting House) South Africa out of Kimberley.
The company began its exit from Kimberley in 2015 when it announced that it was selling its oldest diamond mine, Kimberley Mines – ending the more than 125 years of history in the city.
Established in 1881, the company’s roots in the city can be traced to the first diamond discoveries in Kimberley in 1871. Frenzied fortune-hunting miners from around the world raced to the city and this gemstone rush would lead to De Beers becoming the leading diamond miner under Cecil Rhodes and then the Oppenheimer family.