De Beers accused of breaking beneficiation promises
Friday, May 15, 2015
According to analysts that claim to have intimate knowledge of the ten-year 2010 agreement, the diamond manufacturers’ plight might be lessened if De Beers keeps its promise of supplying local companies with ‘suitable’ stones that are profitable to cut under Botswana’s high cost operating environment. In the better quality ranges, Botswana’s labour costs are competitive with other centres and below some of the other southern African countries.
Due to depressed polished prices set against high rough prices, cutting and polishing companies globally are currently facing difficulties with the local industry’s situation exacerbated by the comparatively higher labour costs.
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...