Still sparkling, forty-five years on

Friday, November 14, 2014

Some of Debswana's first miners who attended the company's 45th anniversary celebrations last week.

The story of Botswana’s diamond miracle – a tale that has captivated the hearts and minds of many around the globe – remains fascinating today as when it first unravelled.

The romance of the story derives its setting in 1955 when Central African Selection Trust prospectors, lead by Gavin Lamont, uncovered an alluvial deposit of diamonds on the banks of Motloutse River, 250 km east of Orapa Town.

This was a year after the then Bechuanaland granted the DeBeers Consolidated Mines (DBCM) first crown-prospecting license. Lamont further explored the Ghanzi farms searching for the diamonds.

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