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
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

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