South African Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu on Monday called for the lifting of Western sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying the embargo was not only affecting the country but the African continent as a whole.

She was speaking at the start of the two-day inaugural international diamond conference being held in the resort town.

The South African government, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union have all condemned the sanctions imposed more than 10 years ago, and have consistently called for their removal.

"As South Africa along with the rest of SADC we are committed to ensuring that the economic sanctions on Zimbabwe are lifted," she said.

However, she said Zimbabwe needed to speed up implementation of the necessary reforms, including political, to bring about positive change in the country.

She urged Zimbabwe to fully maximize benefits from the exploitation of her diamonds, noting tht diamonds were an exhaustive resource.

"Zimbabwe needs to ensure that its diamond resources are exploited in a sustainable manner which ensures that its future generations benefit from the resource," she said.

She also underscored the need for Zimbabwe to invest heavily in diamond beneficiation for the greater benefit of the nation.

In the wake of falling global diamond prices, Shabangu said it was necessary for Zimbabwe and other diamond producing countries in Africa to continuously explore ways of increasing diamond demand.

"We must not limit ourselves to mining diamonds for jewellery , there are other industries that need the resource," she said.

Shabangu, meanwhile, commended the Zimbabwe government for working to achieve full compliance with the KP minimum requirements, a development which she said would allow the country to effectively harness its diamond resources to develop its economy.

Speaking at the same occasion, Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy Resources Isak Katali said his country was ready to work with Zimbabwe in the field of diamond beneficiation.

"Namibia and the African Diamond Producers Association will continue to stand side by side with Zimbabwe in defending our right to exercise our sovereign right over our resources.

"As Namibia we rededicate our efforts to assisting and share our experiences with Zimbabwe in the area of diamond beneficiation, " he said.

Since the discovery of the vast Chiadzwa diamond field in eastern Zimbabwe in 2006, Zimbabwe has steadily rose to be among top 10 diamond producing countries in the world.

KP chair Gillian Milovanovic, several delegates from African diamond producing countries and leaders of world diamond centers are attending the conference.