The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has condemned De Beers’ decision to pause production at South Africa’s biggest diamond mine for two years, a move that puts 1,214 jobs at risk.

The mining giant issued a Section 189A notice on Monday, 13 July 2026, threatening 1,134 permanent employees at the Venetia Mine in Limpopo and a further 80 workers at De Beers Sightholder Sales South Africa (DBSSSA) in Johannesburg.

Venetia accounts for 40% of South Africa’s annual diamond production and more than 10% of De Beers’ global output.

“Workers cannot be treated as disposable tools that are discarded whenever companies face economic pressures,” said Masibulele Naki, NUM National Health and Safety Secretary and Diamonds Sector Chief Negotiator.“De Beers has known about the challenges confronting the diamond market for a long time. It is therefore disingenuous to present this announcement as a sudden crisis.”

The union accused management of failing to engage workers honestly before issuing the notice. “Workers and their trade union should have been engaged honestly and transparently long before a Section 189A notice was issued,” Naki said.

NUM demanded that De Beers consider alternatives including retraining programmes, temporary job preservation measures, a reduction in non-essential expenditure, and a review of executive and management costs.“The salaries of workers are not the cause of the current difficulties facing the company,” Naki added. “Workers’ wages, jobs, and livelihoods cannot become the first target whenever management seeks to reduce costs.”

The union also raised concerns about potential contractor replacements. “The NUM will not be shocked and surprised if this is a strategy by the company to replace permanent workers with contractors, which is a strategy that is being used by mining companies around the world where they operate,” Naki said.

De Beers said the two-year production pause is necessary to cut costs amid a prolonged global diamond market downturn driven by weak jewellery demand and competition from lab-grown gems.The company has begun retrenchment consultations but declined to confirm how many jobs would ultimately be affected.

The NUM has called on the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the Department of Employment and Labour, and organised labour to intervene urgently.“The livelihoods of more than 1,200 workers and thousands of dependents are at stake. NUM will not stand by while workers are sacrificed for corporate convenience,” Naki said.