評論
打印
Business The Oppenheimers Swapping gems for cash
商業 寶石 交易
What next for South Africa's foremost mining family?
南非最有影響力的礦業家族，下一步會如何？
MOST people would be overjoyed to pocket $5.1 billion.
在大多數人眼里，獲得51億美元是一件高興的事。
But Nicky Oppenheimer, the chairman of De Beers, said that it was with a heavy heart that his family had decided to sell its remaining 40% stake in the world's biggest diamond miner to Anglo American, a mining behemoth.
然而對于尼克 奧本海默而言，這位德比爾斯（全球最大，歷史最悠久的鉆石礦業公司）主席卻不那么輕松。其家族海默家族已經決定向礦業巨頭英美資源集團出售剩余的40%德比爾斯的股份。
The deal marks the end of an era for South Africa's foremost mining dynasty.
而這次交易也標志這個南非礦業巨頭輝煌時代的結束。
The Oppenheimers have been in the diamond business for more than a century, including over 80 years with De Beers.
海默家族涉足鉆石業已超過一個世紀，其中80年在德比爾斯工作。
Nicky's grandfather Ernest settled in South Africa in 1902, having been posted to the diamond-boom town of Kimberley at the age of 22 as an agent for a London-based firm of gem traders.
尼克的祖父歐內斯特在1902年定居在南非。在他22歲那年，作為一家總部在倫敦的鉆石交易公司的代理，他外派到鉆石業繁榮的小城金伯利。
By 1917 he had set up his own mining company, Anglo American.
1917年，他已有了自己的礦業公司，英美資源集團。
A few years later he won control of De Beers, a diamond miner that had been founded in 1880 by Cecil Rhodes, a British-born colonialist.
幾年之后，他又掌控了德比爾斯，一家由英國殖民者塞西爾?羅茲于1880年創立的企業。
By the time Rhodes died in 1902, De Beers controlled 90% of the world's diamond production.
1902年，也就是羅茲去世時間，德比爾斯鉆石產量占據世界份額的90%。
Rhodes's immense fortune still pays for people like Bill Clinton to study at Oxford.
至今，羅茲的巨額財富仍在支付美國前總統克林頓在牛津大學學習的費用。
Since 1929, when Sir Ernest (knighted for war services in 1921) took over as chairman, the Oppenheimers have led De Beers almost without interruption, massaging the price of diamonds by hoarding them and occasionally selling part of the firm's stockpile.
1929年，歐內斯特爵士成為德比爾斯主席。自此之后，海默家族一直經營著德比爾斯，并通過控制庫存量來調控鉆石價格。
The family has wielded political influence, too, mostly bankrolling liberal causes.
與此同時，海默家族為一些南非的自由事業提供資助，在政界也有一定的影響。
Both Ernest and his son Harry served in South Africa's parliament: Ernest for 14 years in the run-up to the second world war, and Harry for nine years as a member of the anti-apartheid opposition.
另外，歐內斯特和兒子哈利也曾為南非議會服務：歐內斯特在14年里為二戰提供支持，哈利也是種族主義的支持者。
Of late, however, the family's influence has waned.
近來，海默家族的影響力卻日漸衰弱。
Some wonder whether Nicky and his son Jonathan have the same drive and acumen as their swashbuckling forebears.
一些人就質疑尼克和他的兒子是否擁有先驅的進取心和洞察力。
And Anglo American, the firm their family founded (and in which it now has a stake of 2%), moved its headquarters to London in 1999.
而且英美資源集團，這個曾經海默家族一手打造的企業也在1999年把總部遷到了倫敦。
Nicky Oppenheimer insists that the family will stay connected with South Africa: they are still based in Johannesburg.
而尼克 奧本海默卻堅持家族應該要立足于南非：其總部仍在約翰內斯堡。
What will the Oppenheimers do with their new pile of cash?
奧本海默家族又如何運用這筆錢？
The deal will take months to complete, so they have time to ponder.
這次交易歷經數月才能完成，因而海默家族有著足夠的時間來考量。
Under its terms, they are barred from dabbling in diamonds for two years. But other possibilities abound.
條款規定，他們在2年內禁止從事鉆石行業。但不排除有其他可能他們將再次干起老本行。
The family has two investment arms. One, called Stockdale Street Capital, invests largely in medium-sized firms in South Africa.
海默家族有2個投資分部：斯托克代爾街資本，主要投資南非的中型企業。
The other, Tana Africa Capital, is a joint venture with Singapore's sovereign-wealth fund, Temasek, and invests in the rest of Africa.
非洲塔納資本，這家與新加坡淡馬錫（主權財富基金公司）成立的合資公司則負責其余非洲的業務。
Among other things, it holds a stake in a Nigerian firm that sells powdered milk, and it plans to build up five to ten substantial firms over the next decade.
除了這些之外，家族還擁有一家尼日利亞的奶粉廠，并計劃在近十年中投資在新建5到10個新工廠。
At the moment, Tana is focused on fast-moving consumer goods and agriculture, and to a lesser extent on building materials, health and education.
與此同時，塔納資本愈發重視投資日益繁榮的消費品和農產品行業。同時，也在慢慢涉足建筑材料領域、健康領域和教育界。
The new money could go into any or all of these areas, says James Teeger, a family spokesman.
娜塔麗珍，這位家族的發言人聲稱，家族獲得的資金會投資到這些行業中。
And the Oppenheimers may also look at infrastructure and energy, two of the hottest businesses south of the Sahara.
除此之外，基礎設施和能源領域是作為撒哈拉沙漠南部最熱門的行業，海默家族也在考量著對這兩個領域進行投資。
Nicky Oppenheimer is said to be furiously jetting around looking for shrewd places to inject his cash.
據說，尼克四處打探消息，尋找可以投錢的最佳場所。
