Themba Mokoena, Columnist
The column is written under a single byline. Themba Mokoena is a pen name — a column convention in the tradition of magazine columnists like the Financial Times's Lex, Tatler's Bystander, or the Economist's leader writers. Pieces are written and edited by real humans, but the public byline is a stable convention rather than the legal name of any one person.
Why a column convention rather than a personal byline? Two reasons. First, the South African diamond trade is a small world; sources who will speak frankly to a column will not always do so to a named reporter. The convention preserves the willingness of trade participants to speak honestly. Second, the column is intended to outlive any one writer — the editorial standard is the byline's meaning, not a particular person's CV.
The convention is itself the disclosure. There is no hidden third party paying for placement; there is no commercial relationship with any dealer covered. Every dealer recommended in these pages is a dealer the column would send a family member to. Every dealer criticised is criticised on the record.