Marriott International has announced the signing of an agreement with Pennyroyal Gibraltar Limited, to debut The Ritz-Carlton brand in the exotic Zanzibar Archipelago. Slated to open in 2021, the 90 room all-suite and villa resort will bring the defining luxury experience of The Ritz-Carlton to one of the most magical destinations in the world. Located within a convenient 45-minute drive from Zanzibar International Airport, The Ritz-Carlton, Zanzibar will provide easy access to the fabled and magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stone Town, often referred to as the cultural heart of Zanzibar. The signing of The Ritz-Carlton, Zanzibar took place…
Author: Editor
De Beers said its Auction Sales business will pilot the sale of its own polished diamonds using auctions for the first time. The sale will comprise a wide range of polished stones manufactured directly from its rough diamonds. The polished diamonds are available following contract manufacturing of De Beers Auction Sales rough diamond products to assess what range of polished diamonds they would produce. The polished diamonds will be accompanied by both International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) and Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading reports. The pilot auction will give De Beers’ Auction Sales business the opportunity to…
South African Tourism is set to launch a revolutionary, world-first product – called Good Times in a Box – to stimulate domestic tourism. Good Times in a Box will soon be available online. The product, introduced at INDABA, aims to make travel more accessible to the potentially lucrative domestic market, which remains relatively untapped. This is largely because many South Africans have not yet considered travel for leisure, either because they feel they cannot afford to do so, they do not have a culture of travel, or although they already travel, they do not consider doing so for holidays and…
board has selected Tourism KwaZulu-Natal as the successful bidder to host the newly rebranded Africa’s Travel INDABA for the next five years following a comprehensive bidding process which started with an expression of interest to all provinces. This was announced by President Jacob Zuma during the official opening of South African Tourism’s annual travel show, INDABA, which is taking place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban from 16 to 18 May 2017. The decision means that the newly renamed Africa’s Travel INDABA will be hosted by KwaZulu-Natal and Durban at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC…
Diamond mining major—De Beers said its sales for the provisional Cycle 4 2017 fell when compared to previous month. According to the company’s rough diamond sales (Global Sightholder Sales and Auction Sales) for the fourth sales cycle of 2017, sales were $520 million—a 11% decline from $586 million actual sales in Cycle 3 2017. Year-on-year, sales were also down compared to $636 million reported in actual of Cycle 4 2016. De Beers however has remained bullish despite the decline in sales saying demand is steady. “We are continuing to see steady demand for rough diamonds, despite the industry entering a typically quieter season,” De…
AIM-listed Alecto Minerals plc has revealed that production is now ongoing on a full-time basis at the Mowana Copper Mine in Botswana following completion of the first blast on April 29, 2017 and a successful trial period, which saw the company produce saleable concentrate up to 28% copper. To date, over 1,900 tonnes of copper concentrate has been produced, which is being sold to Alecto’s offtake partner Fujax Minerals and Energy Limited. The company said it continued to advance the acquisition of the project by way of a reverse takeover adding that the Competent Persons Report (CPR) on Alecto’s African…
Discussions on South Africa’s nuclear future and a pledge of commitment by the water industry to ensure a water resilient future are some of the highlights at the 17th annual African Utility Week conference and expo that kick off at the CTICC in Cape Town on Tuesday, 16 May. The returning Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, will also deliver the host utility welcome address during the keynote opening session that starts at 09h30 on Tuesday, 16 May. Molefe’s appearance at African Utility Week will be one of his first public appearances since the Eskom board announced last week that he was returning to his job as…
The World Bank Group has released its Mining Investment and Governance Review (MInGov) for Botswana to help the government improve the sector’s performance and to attract further investment. “As a country we have to continue to strengthen performance and address issues of concern to investors. We need to build an environment that will stimulate more investment in mineral extraction,” said Kgomotso Abi, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security. Mining is critically important for Botswana’s economic development and currently accounts for over 24% of Botswana’s GDP and 89% of its exports. Diamond resources were discovered…
Cautious Polished Lags Behind Strong Rough Market Diamond trading slowed in April, marking the start of the traditionally quieter second quarter. Sentiment was positive despite lower trading volumes, due to improving retail expectations in China, where the jewellery market is showing signs of recovery. The trade’s focus shifted to the US ahead of the Las Vegas shows as the hype surrounding the March Hong Kong fair subsided. Dealers held off from closing deals, hoping Las Vegas would boost activity. The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) for 1-carat polished diamonds slid 0.3% in April and was down 1.4% since the beginning of the…
De Beers Spent P4 billion On Procurement In Botswana In 2016De Beers Group and its joint ventures spent more than P4 billion in Botswana in 2016 purchasing goods and services from local businesses according to the Group’s latest Report to Society, published today. The spend with Botswana-based businesses, which represented 81% of the Group’s and its joint ventures’ total procurement spend in Botswana, comprised payments for both core business and ancillary services. De Beers Group and its joint ventures also increased the amount they invested in community development programmes in Botswana 31 per cent to P124 million in 2016. Funding was…