Botswana Guardian

Masisi brags of standing up to De Beers

- Nicholas Mokwena

President Mokgweetsi Masisi says he was able to take head- on the giant, De Beers and conquered when it was not fashionabl­e.

He said he was being attacked by his opponents accusing him of trying to destroy the country. e Government and De Beers Group last July announced that they have reached an agreement in principle on a new 10- year Sales Agreement for Debswana’s rough diamond production through to 2033 and a 25- year extension of the Debswana mining licences through to 2054. e agreement represents a new chapter in an enduring diamond partnershi­p by focusing on four key areas of value: Industry leadership - Significan­tly expanding Botswana’s footprint and leadership position across the diamond value chain, including a transition to increasing the share of Debswana supply sold via Okavango Diamond Company ( ODC) to 50 percent over the duration of the agreement. From the start of the new contract period, ODC will receive 30 percent of Debswana production, progressiv­ely increasing to 50 percent by the nal year of the contract, ensuring a sustainabl­e transition path for both partners. Addressing a political rally in Goodhope, Masisi stated that the opposition has been ghting him on the deal. He said there has been arguments that without De Beers, Botswana will fail as De Beers know how to sell diamonds better. “I took De Beers head on and I won. I did not defeat them for my own bene t but I did it for you as Batswana. I wanted you and your children to bene t from your own diamonds. e deal that was there, I scrutinize­d it and discovered that we were being disadvanta­ged. We were not bene ting satisfacto­rily. e deal was long overdue and was not in line with our ambition and the times to become a knowledge based economy,” said Masisi. He told the rally that a er scrutinizi­ng the deal, he prepared himself to face De Beers. He revealed that in June this year, the parties will be nalising the deal having dealt with the rst phase of the deal. He said the initial agreement was a slavery one. “We have signed the rst agreement. What we are le with now is that there was this clause which disadvanta­ged us. We have since removed that clause because when you compare us with other diamond producing countries in the world, we are number one in terms of value and ranked second in terms

The opposition have been thinking in a vacuum which is why they went all out to attack me.

of production but we were being robbed. We were getting less from the annual US 15 billion which is made. at does not make sense,” said the president. According to Masisi, this is the best decision ever to be done for the country. He argued that there was no way Botswana was to arrive at high income status with the previous deal. We have unlocked the door for the poverty house where we have been trapped as a country. “The opposition have been thinking in a vacuum which is why they went all out to attack me. I am going to use their words which they used to attack me. I am very proud of what I did and do not regret it,” said Masisi.

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