We caught up with Nosiphiwo Mzamo, CEO of State Diamond Trader to discuss the industry and how she has flourished
You’re leading one of the most strategic state-owned entities in the country. What does “power” mean to you in the context of leadership?
Leadership power is the ability to control people, resources, and events to achieve goals, complete objectives, and overcome obstacles. Power is important for leaders as it helps them to achieve goals and tasks that would have been impossible. Power can be a positive force that helps leaders and organisations achieve their goals. However, power can be misused by leaders, and this has a negative impact. Leaders need to be aware of the potential risk of misusing power.
The diamond industry has historically been male dominated. What have been your biggest challenges and triumphs as a woman at the helm?
The diamond industry’s history as a male-dominated field can create a challenging environment for women to navigate. This involves facing resistance to the change you are bringing, struggling to be heard and respected.
As a woman one encounters subtle forms of discrimination stemming from unconscious biases about one’s capabilities and you find that your decision making is always second guessed and being undermined – your position as a CEO is not being respected. And one often asks themselves will certain behaviours happen if the position was held by a man?
Joining the State Diamond Trader I brought in fresh perspective and innovative ideas to the table, which have led to more creative and effective solutions to complex challenges that is faced by the diamond industry.
One of my biggest strengths is fostering and building relationships, I have focused on building stronger stakeholders for the entity that is slowly showing positive results at how we are managing and navigating the current diamond market challenges.
I am a Geologist by training and have worked in the Diamond mines for over 9 years and later joined Mintek a state-owned Research Council for Mineral Processing where I was an Executive Manager for the Mineralogy division and in my role there, we conducted important research on diamond fingerprinting trying to ascertain the source of each diamond fingerprint. Joining the State Diamond Trader as its CEO my career has taken a full circle from being a Mine Geologist, a Leader of Diamond Research and now the Queen of Diamond Trading.
How does the organisation align its mandate with broader socio-economic goals like youth employment, skills development, and black industrialist support?
The State Diamond Trader launched the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) in 2015 with the goal of introducing young, black individuals to the diamond industry. Recognising the industry’s aging workforce and the lack of young black entrepreneurs. On this program we have partnered with the big diamond companies to provide them with training and some of our established factories take them for practical training on running a diamond cutting and polishing factory.
Six of the individuals that have been trained by State Diamond Trader are now employed within the diamond industry as diamond polishers, diamond graders, and diamond laser cutters.
Additionally, four businesses were established through the programme, all of which are now clients of the State Diamond Trader.
What key milestones has the State Diamond Trader achieved under your leadership?
My biggest accomplishment has been able to make the State Diamond Trader brand visible through brand marketing via magazine, radio and tv interviews and social media presence. Before I joined the State Diamond Trader many people have not been aware that there is a state-owned entity called State Diamond Trader. We have also successfully launched the Diamond Show in February 2025 running parallel to the Mining Indaba.
The objective of the show was to showcase South Africa’s refined diamonds and finished jewellery to local and international markets; promote emerging talent within the South African diamond industry, especially youth and women-led enterprises; attract foreign direct investment into the beneficiation and jewellery sectors and most importantly position South Africa as a global leader in ethical sourcing and sustainability in diamond mining and trading.
What innovative approaches or policies have you implemented to drive growth and impact?
I continuously encourage open communication and feedback from staff and stakeholders. I have created a safe space for employees to share ideas, even if unconventional. I have publicly acknowledged and rewarded employees that have served the entity for over 10 years as they are key to the entities institutional memory as understanding the history of the company is as important as its future.
State Diamond Trader has a very young workforce – it was important to implement policies that gives them flexibility. We therefore implemented working from home policy which helps with employee morale and productivity, leading to better performance and innovation.
I have built relationships with our stakeholders both locally and internationally and shareholder to ensure alignment in achieving our mandate.
How do you balance commercial strategy with developmental impact in such a complex sector?
We established a clear vision and mission for the entity that incorporates both commercial success and developmental goals. This ensures a shared understanding of the organization’s purpose and direction.
Vision
Trusted diamond trader for beneficiation (commercial strategy)
Mission
To promote equitable access to rough diamonds in support of local beneficiation for inclusive economic growth.
We have further identified strategic objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) that address both commercial and developmental needs.
We then participated on international markets where the organization’s strengths align with developmental needs, creating opportunities for scalable growth for our clients.
What’s next both for the industry and for Nosiphiwo Mzamo?
Next for the South African diamond industry, the aim is to strengthen its position as a leading diamond hub for the African continent, creating economic opportunities and ensuring that the benefits of its diamond wealth are shared more broadly.
There is currently only has one female CEO leading one of the major mining companies in South Africa. With South Africa a mineral endowed country this is a huge gap in terms of female’s representation and transforming the industry and leading the major mining companies.
My next is to be a CEO in one of the big mining houses in the country.
