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SA backs Botswana’s bid to host Kimberley Process HQ

At the helm: Moagi was recently in talks with Mantashe in Gaborone PIC: FACEBOOK
At the helm: Moagi was recently in talks with Mantashe in Gaborone PIC: FACEBOOK

South Africa has thrown its weight behind Botswana’s bid to host the Kimberley Process (KP) secretariat, an effort which, if successful, would place the country at the centre of maintaining the global diamond industry’s image.

Austria and China are also bidding to host the two-decade-old diamond group’s secretariat and lobbying is intensifying ahead of a vote scheduled for one of the Kimberley Process’ upcoming meetings. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is the world’s leading organisation for combatting conflict diamonds, encompassing 85 countries that represent producers, markets, and other interest groups.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi, in his recent international engagements, has met with other heads of state to lobby them for the secretariat, including senior French officials. The United States last November said it 'commended' Botswana for its willingness to host the secretariat.

Editor's Comment
Boko should stop the fighting and start the delivering

With his theme of 'Delivering on Our Promise, One Step at a Time', he sought to project an image of a focused, determined leader building a new ‘Rome’. Sadly, parts of his speech were not about laying bricks, but about settling old scores.It is deeply worrying that a head of government would use such a pivotal national address to launch another bitter broadside against the media and his political detractors. His portrayal of the...

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