diamond mining
Strange Circumstances in the Kalahari
The San living in their traditional settlements in the Kalahari Desert were shaken last week by a diamond mine being closed and, two days later, by an earthquake. A variety of news sources covered both events. The Botswana Daily News on April 2 reported on a presentation about the mine to the Ghanzi District Council, […]
New Reports Depict Discrimination Against the G/wi
The plight of the San people, particularly the G/wi, who have been expelled from their homes by the government of Botswana, prompted some press coverage in Africa last week. Several news sources reprinted a press release from Survival International which shows a cartoon that caricatures the reactions of President Ian Khama of Botswana to the […]
Confirmed: Botswana Persecutes San People for Diamonds
An anonymous former Botswana official has admitted that his government ousted the G/wi and G//ana people from their homes in 2002 in order to expedite a proposed diamond mining project. According to an article in the current issue of Dissident Voice: A Radical Newsletter in the Struggle for Peace and Justice, the highly-placed official told […]
Diamond Mining on G/wi Lands Delayed
Survival International (SI) has just announced that Gem Diamonds decided to delay their diamond mining operation on G/wi lands inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Demand for diamonds has dropped radically due to the global recession, and all of the diamond mining operations in the country closed in February. The company has confirmed the delay. […]
Survival International Agitates on Behalf of San People
Survival International last week tried to shame another major diamond corporation with the taint of supporting the government of Botswana, which is continuing to persecute the G/wi. SI organized a well-publicized protest at the flagship store of Graff Diamonds on New Bond Street in London on Tuesday afternoon. According to the SI press release, the […]
G/wi Convince De Beers to Shut Down Diamond Explorations
Survival International reported last week that De Beers has capitulated to their pressure and has announced that it will not do any more diamond exploring in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). SI believes that this decision is a “huge victory for the Bushmen [the San].” The renewed commitment to exploring for diamonds, and the […]
Survival International Renews Campaign Against De Beers
Survival International claimed last week that De Beers is resuming prospecting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). According to the British human rights organization, the planned exploration for diamonds in the vicinity of the San community of Metsiamenong threatens the G/wi and the other San people who live there, as well as the fragile […]
Supporters Protest Once Again the Treatment of the G/wi
Survival International and its supporters protested last week the continuing abuse of the G/wi people for two very different reasons, both of which received attention in the press. On Wednesday, March 12, SI staged a demonstration outside Chatham House in London, where three influential women from Botswana were scheduled to be part of a seminar […]
De Beers Bends Under Pressure
The story of the G/wi persecution took a new turn this week when the De Beers diamond company asked the government of Botswana to stop removing the San people from their lands—the international protests might hurt sales. Jeff Ramsay, a spokesman for Botswana President Festus Mogae, announced that Chairman Nicky Oppenheimer of De Beers had […]
Protests Continue on Behalf of the San Peoples
Pressure continues to mount around the world on behalf of the G/wi and G//ana peoples who were displaced from their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) by the government of Botswana. Advocates for the rights of the two San societies claim that De Beers, the huge international diamond corporation, is behind the government’s […]
