Mmegi

Diamonds: The crack in the economy

Hands full: Finance Minister, Peggy Serame, has a tough task balancing the books this year
 PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Hands full: Finance Minister, Peggy Serame, has a tough task balancing the books this year PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Diamonds, one of the hardest substances known to mankind, is proving to be not so tough. The stones continue to succumb to the pressure of fierce market conditions and for the economy, the cracks in the market are an abyss that threatens to spoil ambitious budgets and plans. Mmegi Staffer TIMOTHY LEWANIKA writes.

Diamond industry woes are the talk of the economy this year, for obvious reasons that need no mention in a diamond dependent country. The issue is the extent to which the pinch of the diamond woes will be felt by Botswana’s purse and the tough decisions that have to be made in the wake of these difficulties.

Economists at economic consultancy firm, Econsult, in their second quarter review have sounded more alarms for Botswana’s economy as diamond sales continue to plummet.

Editor's Comment
A promising step for public schools, but...

For too long, the state of many public schools has been a source of shame. We have all seen the pictures and heard the stories of broken windows, unreliable water and electricity, topped by classrooms that are not fit for proper learning. The establishment of the Education Infrastructure and Management Company Ltd (EIMC) signals that authorities are finally ready to take this problem seriously. We must commend the government for this initiative....

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