Nicky Oppenheimer's aircraft touches down in Cape Town amid ongoing De Beers sale negotiations

Nicky Oppenheimer's Bombardier Challenger 350 (ZS-AKF) was tracked flying from a remote airstrip in the Karoo to Cape Town International Airport on June 28, a 44-minute hop that touched down just before noon local time. The departure coordinates, near the southern tip of Africa, suggest a stop at one of Oppenheimer's conservation properties or a private farm.

The landing comes the same week Anglo American pushes to finalize the sale of De Beers, according to News24, with former De Beers CEO Gareth Penny leading one consortium and Israeli diamond trader Nir Livnat another. If aboard, Nicky Oppenheimer—whose family sold their De Beers stake to Anglo American for $5.1 billion in 2012—would have a clear interest in the outcome, even as the diamond industry faces a prolonged downturn and Botswana seeks a larger stake.

The flight follows a recent transatlantic pattern: the aircraft returned from London to Johannesburg on June 26, and Oppenheimer's Challenger 350 is a frequent visitor to Cape Town, a hub for his business and philanthropic work through Tana Africa Capital and Oppenheimer Generations.