A tale of two presidents – how two rivals secured Botswana’s diamond dividend

Sunday Standard

A tale of two presidents – how two rivals secured Botswana’s diamond dividend

When it comes to their relationship with De Beers, President Duma Boko and his predecessor Mokgweetsi Masisi are serving pure “frenemy energy.”

In Botswana’s plugged-in political circles, polite company knows better than to drop De Beers’ name around the two adversaries without risking an immediate, icy shift in the room.

Yet, when the wire transfer cleared last week, crediting the newly minted Diamond for Development Fund with one billion Pula (USD 73 million), a rare moment of shared satisfaction echoed across Botswana’s political divide. Both Boko and Masisi had reason to smile. The former president, watching his fiercely defended vision finally come to life, and the current president watching a massive financial asset land securely on his watch without a single political casualty.

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The post A tale of two presidents – how two rivals secured Botswana’s diamond dividend first appeared on Sunday Standard and is written by Sunday Standard Reporter