Ex-BCL mineworkers to retain tenancy
Tuesday, February 19, 2019

BCL Mine
The former BCL workers were supposed to have moved last month. The liquidator of the mine had already issued letters to the former BCL workers requesting them to vacate the mine houses by the end of January, following the expiry of their lease agreements.
The Botswana Mine Workers Union (BWMU) then pleaded with the government to continue paying rental fees for the former employees so that their lease agreement could be extended.
Instead, it has sparked a storm of accusations, denials, and unresolved questions about the influence of De Beers on the nation’s politics. Former president Mokgweetsi Masisi’s claims that the diamond giants bankrolled his removal to dodge taxes – and that the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government watered down a favourable diamond deal – are explosive matters. But without evidence, they risk becoming a toxic distraction from...