Mmegi

Botswana unearths rare track diamonds

The 4x400m gold medal winning team.PIC:EPA
The 4x400m gold medal winning team.PIC:EPA

Botswana has been heavily reliant on the sparkle of diamonds to power forward her economy, with the country’s success story reaching the global corridors. But in the middle of the captivating tale of how the natural stones have transformed the economic fortunes of a semi-arid Southern African nation, lies an even more enchanting account, capturing the rise of a sparsely populated nation to global sports stardom, writes MQONDISI DUBE

On the fringes of the vast Kalahari desert, which stretches more than 900,000 square kilometres across three countries, lies Botswana’s most valuable commodity: the sparkling diamond.

The diamonds have been the mainstay of the country’s economy, driving the nation’s prosperity since independence. Botswana is now the world’s largest producer of diamonds by value, a development credited with lifting the country from rags to riches.

Editor's Comment
Boko should stop the fighting and start the delivering

With his theme of 'Delivering on Our Promise, One Step at a Time', he sought to project an image of a focused, determined leader building a new ‘Rome’. Sadly, parts of his speech were not about laying bricks, but about settling old scores.It is deeply worrying that a head of government would use such a pivotal national address to launch another bitter broadside against the media and his political detractors. His portrayal of the...

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