Mogae’s stoic fight for natural diamonds
Friday, May 15, 2026 | 10 Views |
Festus Mogae
Long before lab-grown diamonds disrupted the market and long before younger consumers began questioning the relevance of natural stones, Mogae was already fighting a different battle, one that threatened not merely diamond sales, but Botswana’s entire development story.
To understand why Mogae fought so fiercely for natural diamonds, one must return to the chaos of the 1990s, when diamonds became entangled with some of Africa’s bloodiest wars.
If the allegations are proved, the educator in question stole not only an exam but also the future of honest students who studied hard.The Ministry of Higher Education acted correctly by suspending the Special Education paper at both Tlokweng and Serowe colleges, as reported elsewhere in this edition.Yet stopping one examination is a short-term fix for a problem that is spreading dangerously across the country.The 2025 Botswana General...