The avalanche of negative publicity pointing to many years of corruption in the higher echelons of Debswana, the world's largest diamond producer, is indicative not just of the depth of trouble, but of the determination to face these issues upfront and the political will to eradicate any abyss in good governance. On a national level, it will be up to Botswana President Ian Khama to show determination and resolve. On the Debswana level, it is up to the chairman and the board.
Former president Festus Mogae is willing to publicly admit that he was made by the previous Debswana managing director, Louis Nchindo, to choose, between either stopping the prosecution on corruption charges against Nchindo or face revelations of having a girlfriend or having been involved with alleged De Beers-related corruption issues. This has now come out, and the former president chose the law rather than yielding to the blackmail. While Nchindo was a close long-term friend of President Mogae, the president didn't waver in doing the right thing.
