In the back, from left to right: James Kirby,
Senior Vice President of Product Planning and Delivery at De Beers and
Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp. In the front, from left to right:
Axolisiwe Mbontsi, CEO of Axel & Co.; Bernice Dickson, CEO of House of
Lemba Designs; Noxolo Mseleku, Founder and Managing Director of
Elegânté; and Johannes Matthews – CEO, Shine Jewellery & Accessories
(Pty) Ltd.
De Beers Group, in partnership with business incubation specialists Raizcorp, has officially launched the third intake of its Enterprise Development Project for Diamond Benefactors, welcoming four emerging enterprises into the programme.
Launched in 2016, the three-year programme supports entrepreneurs across the diamond value chain, from rough diamond purchasing to jewellery manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. It offers tailored technical, operational, and strategic guidance to help businesses scale sustainably and contribute to both local and global diamond economies.
The 2025 cohort includes Axel & Co., Shine Jewellery & Accessories (Pty) Ltd, Elegânté, and House of Lemba Design. Specialising in jewellery design, manufacturing, and repair, these businesses were selected from a pool of emerging enterprises and meet the programme’s regulatory and operational criteria, ensuring they are well-positioned to add value within the beneficiation pipeline.
Speaking at the launch of the programme at Raizcorp, James Kirby, Senior Vice President of Product Planning and Delivery at De Beers, said: “As we launch the third intake of this transformative programme, I am reminded that real, lasting, and inclusive progress is never accidental. It is the product of consistent vision, intentional action, and the collective will to create something greater than ourselves. It requires courage, collaboration, and above all, clarity of purpose. That clarity lives at the heart of our Building Forever Sustainability Strategy – our ongoing commitment to ensuring that the story of diamonds is not only about what is unearthed but about the long-term positive impact we create well beyond the life of our operations.”
Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp, said: “Every big business starts small, but not every small business becomes big. Ninety-six per cent of businesses do not scale because they don’t know how. The De Beers programme will ensure that every entrepreneur who participates will be given the know-how and guidance they need to scale their business.”
The selected businesses share a passion for transforming precious metals and gemstones into jewellery of exceptional brilliance and beauty. “For me and my team, the journey we’re embarking on with De Beers and Raizcorp will mean realising our dreams of growing into a self-sustaining business that contributes positively to South Africa’s economy by creating employment and imparting knowledge and skills to fellow South Africans in the jewellery industry,” added Noxolo Mseleku, Founder and Managing Director of Elegânté.
To date, 10 diamond beneficiation companies have benefited from the programme, with 60% women-owned and 80% black-owned. Notably, it helped De Beers appoint its first majority black-owned Sightholder, Molefi Letsiki Diamonds, in January 2023. The programme is a powerful example of how collaboration between industry, government, and entrepreneurs can unlock local beneficiation and build a more inclusive, resilient diamond economy.
