The diamond he pulls out tonight might end up in Antwerp, then a jeweler’s window in Manhattan, and nobody along the way will ask too many questions. South Africa has a modern constitution, an independent judiciary, and a free press. De Beers reported a $288 million net loss in 2024 as rough diamond sales plunged roughly 44%. Angola, the DRC, South Africa, and Botswana all sit on some of the most extraordinary mineral wealth on earth. In South Africa, the men underground didn’t have anyone to ask.