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Namdia heist will not impact Namibia’s image – Alweendo breaks silence on diamond robbery

Mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo has broken his silence on the country’s biggest diamond heist at Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia).

Alweendo and his ministry have been mum on an armed robbery at Namdia that happened on 18 January. He was reluctant to speak on the matter, stating it is still up for police investigation.

Namdia was allegedly robbed of diamonds valued at N$349.3 million before the police arrived on the scene and two suspects were arrested.

The minister on Wednesday told The Namibian that it is a concerning issue that with all the security arrangements Namdia had, an armed robbery happened.

“That concerns us and then all we’re hoping is that the police will really do their work quickly, so that at least we can know what really happened and how it happened,” he said.

The minister added that he does not foresee the heist having any impact on Namibia’s image with the international diamond market.

“What the international diamond sector will concern is the ethical mining of diamonds,” he said.

“But a crime does not necessarily affect how people view Namdia in terms of the diamond sector,” he added.

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