Diamond giant De Beers sponsored the construction of a primary school in South Africa's Northern Cape Province, a company press release said.

The upgrade of the Refentse Primary School in Groenwater, a community situated between Danielskuil and Postmasburg in the Northern Cape, was a joint venture of the Department of Education in the Northern Cape and De Beers' Finsch Mine.

According to the diamond company, the school reconstruction was made possible with funding from the De Beers Fund, following a motivation by Finsch Mine to De Beers to support Refentse School for the construction of four new classrooms; two classrooms for Refentse and two classrooms for Agisanang Pre-school, which acts as the feeder school to Refentse.

A new kitchen and administration facilities as well as the necessary new fixtures and furnishings for the new facilities completed the project.

The staff of De Beer's Finsch Mine is actively involved in the local community and was closely involved in the entire project. Chief Operating Officer of De Beers Consolidated Mine, Mike Brown, spoke at the school's re-opening ceremony: "By investing in education, we are investing in the teachers of tomorrow, in artisans who will shape the future, technicians and technologists who are fast being rewarded as the critical part of the economy, as well as nurses and doctors of tomorrow, and professionals who will most definitely have an impact on the development of Groenwater and, most definitely, that of our Northern Cape Province” he said.