A tale of two sectors
Friday, December 20, 2013
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The mining sector was generally robust during the year, with the flagship diamond industry exporting P25,1 billion Botswana-produced stones by October, compared to P23,2 billion for the full year 2012.
The diamond industry also came full circle with the relocation of Diamond Trading International from London and the commencement of total De Beers’ group diamond sales from Gaborone in November. The milestone now means Botswana now boasts all stages of the diamond value chain from production to polishing to jewellery manufacturing.
The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...