Notwithstanding the appearance of the word diversification in almost all budget speeches and state of the nation addresses, nothing has happened in practice. The opposition has strongly argued that through proper and well thought public policy decisions jobs can be created through diversification of the economy, something which the government concurs is needed but fails to implement. The opposition contends, as the debate on the general principles of the budget rages on in Parliament, that development is inherently political and that the state has a primary responsibility to see to it that jobs are created. Flawed public policy decisions have resulted in the undiversified economy which is unable to create jobs and has left the economy in the hands of foreigners and naturalised citizens. The situation is untenable as it is unacceptable. Prominent features of the economy remain poverty, unemployment and underemployment, wealth and income gaps and inadequate access to basic services.
The opposition has been calling for a beneficiation policy. They point that beneficiation will diversify the economy and create jobs. Since the discovery of minerals in recoverable quantities, this policy was never a priority for the government of Botswana. It was never considered until recently and in a somewhat halfhearted manner. In the ruling party, it would seem, only David Magang has strongly argued for beneficiation at the time when it would have been more appropriate to start it, particularly in the diamond industry. As he says in his autobiography, The Magic of Perseverance, his comrades thought he was a mad man for suggesting beneficiation of diamonds by diamond cutting and polishing and jewelry and other manufacturing. The country would be far by now, if you consider for instance that Mauritius with no diamond or any precious minerals for that matter is far ahead of Botswana in terms of jewelry (including time pieces) manufacturing. Magang also shed light in his book that De Beers preferred a situation where there was no beneficiation and whereby the country and its people have no clue about the ins and outs of the diamond industry. He pointed or implied that De Beers would do anything to sabotage beneficiation attempts. De Beers should not be blamed but the powers that be who had the authority to turn things around.
