The murky dealings that often accompany the diamond world have started to emerge with revelations that the Minister of Mines and Energy may have overlooked his own moratorium on issuing new diamond cutting and polishing licenses.
Diamond companies have also started recruiting workers despite the fact that the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) is yet to select companies that will receive diamonds to cut and polish.

The Economist has established that new licenses for cutting and polishing diamonds were being acquired as recently as July, despite the February moratorium.
But the diamond commissioner has refuted such claims saying his “books are clean”.
Erkki Nghimtina, the Minister of Mines and Energy, put up the moratorium on 1 February this year following the re-negotiations of the sales and shareholders agreement with De Beers. Under the new agreement, Namdeb - the joint venture diamond company between De Beers and government - will avail 16% of its annual diamond production to be cut and polished in Namibia.
Diamond commissioner Kennedy Hamutenya said the new diamond sales agreement with De Beers sparked a diamond rush, with international companies rushing to the country after getting wind of the new development.
The ministry was inundated with a massive number of applications for diamond cutting and polishing licenses, but none had been issued by the minister, he said.
On the contrary, however, new companies such as Dali Diamond Co announced said they only obtained their cutting and polishing licenses in July.
This revelation came to light last week when the company announced that it would set up a multi-million cutting and polishing plant in Prosperita Industrial Park.
Another new diamond cutting and license recipient is Almond Diamonds, which, last week invited job applications for its diamond cutting and polishing.
The NDTC, which will sell diamonds to the local cutting and polishing industry on behalf of Namdeb, is still going through the 18 applications it has so far received.
Hamutenya said only 20 cutting and polishing licenses have been granted over the years, well before the moratorium.