Suspended gem cutters back to work

THE four suspended employees at the NamGem diamond cutting and polishing factory at Okahandja were back at work on Tuesday after an internal investigation concluded they were innocent of an alleged security breach.

The company suspended Ukresia /Uiras, Emma /Uiras, Memory Ochs and Eliod Karikove six weeks ago, after a diamond allegedly went missing. According to the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), it was eventually discovered that no diamond had gone missing and that it was “just a double booking” of one stone.MUN branch executives said the company first alleged that the four were involved in the theft of a diamond but when it was discovered that there had been a double entry.NamGem’s management sent letters to all four employees on Tuesday informing them that their suspension had been lifted.”It should be pointed out that should new evidence come to light which could prove the contrary, the case will be re-opened by the company,” the letter said.The four employees started working again on Tuesday after they received the letter.NamGem employs around 130 people at Okahandja.It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namdeb, which in turn is owned by the Namibian Government and international diamond giant De Beers.Recently, the US diamond outfit Lazare Kaplan joined as a partner.According to the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), it was eventually discovered that no diamond had gone missing and that it was “just a double booking” of one stone.MUN branch executives said the company first alleged that the four were involved in the theft of a diamond but when it was discovered that there had been a double entry.NamGem’s management sent letters to all four employees on Tuesday informing them that their suspension had been lifted.”It should be pointed out that should new evidence come to light which could prove the contrary, the case will be re-opened by the company,” the letter said.The four employees started working again on Tuesday after they received the letter.NamGem employs around 130 people at Okahandja.It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namdeb, which in turn is owned by the Namibian Government and international diamond giant De Beers.Recently, the US diamond outfit Lazare Kaplan joined as a partner.