Job losses as diamonds lose their lustre
GABORONE: Thousands of mining jobs in Botswana are in jeopardy as diamond and other mineral sales dwindle and companies begin retrenching to cut costs.
The Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) have been locked in talks with management in an attempt to avert looming retrenchments as diamond sales plummeted in response to the global financial crisis. Further declines in diamond sales are anticipated.
Botswana has used its mineral wealth to enhance its development, unlike some of the continent's other resource-rich countries, where minerals have often become a source of conflict.