Festivities for the day presented an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on Debswana’s history, and how the company has impacted lives and grown Botswana’s economy in general. Giving testimony on how Debswana has impacted lives in their area of operation, Boteti District Deputy District Commissioner, Ewetse Selelo said Debswana’s vision to harness diamonds for the betterment of the nation and its people is evident in Boteti district. He said while diamond mining has brought immense benefits, it is important to look towards other sectors to diversify and create a resilient economy. “OLDM’s partnership with Boteti District is a long standing one and will continue, especially because the district leadership has agreed that requests for projects shall be screened through District structures, including the District Development committee to ensure those selected are of high impact and for the benefit of the district as a whole and not individualism,” said Selelo
High Impact Projects
He said to accomplish this, together with Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines (OLDM), Boteti district is exploring opportunities in Agriculture, Tourism, and small business support to ensure sustainable development.
He said this is evident as the company continuously invests significantly in food security projects like the Xhumo Horticulture Project, Khwee Beef Ranch Development that are both currently at inception. He said Debswana has also invested in Community Based Organisations such as the Mokopi Conservation Trust where they have invested about P2.8 million towards development of a Predator Park for conservation, employment creation, educational research, and the construction of a restaurant at the park.
Selelo commended OLDM for their vision of Orapa Today Boteti Tomorrow (OTBT) which has successfully delivered the development of legacy projects that will sustain the district, among them the Adrian Gale Diamond Museum, and the expansion of Orapa Game Park to drive the mission of Mining Today Tourism Tomorrow.
He said Boteti residents are looking forward to the establishment of a Business Park, which will act as a commercial hub for the district and the establishment of a Mining Technical College, which were suspended due to the delayed Orapa Cut 3 project.
Giving a keynote address, OLDM General Manager, Mogakolodi Maoketsa said Debswana just like the diamonds they mine, is a national pride that has significantly contributed to the development of the country and the people, and has remained the largest contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), export earnings and government revenues since inception.
He said through partnerships with government institutions, like-minded organisations as well as community leadership in their operations area of influence, they have and continue to serve a purpose that goes beyond their mining operations to make lives brilliant through their Environmental Social Governance and Social Economic Development (SED) programmes.
“It is for this reason that as we reflect on the last 55 years, we are taking on the mission of being intentional in making our impact clearer, to all our stakeholders that Debswana is more than just a diamond mining company,” he said.
Beyond Mining Operations
Maoketsa said, since the 1970s, Debswana has created many opportunities and facilitated enrichment of lives by contributing to every sector of the economy; creating employment for thousands of Batswana. He also said through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes they have positively contributed to sports development, enhancement and development of health and education facilities and services, skills development programmes to enable community members to access diverse jobs, and positively impacted conservation and biodiversity.
“We have been leading in the promotion of the empowerment of Women, Girls and differently abled people, including enterprise development,” said Maoketsa.
Debswana has always emphasized the need to leave their areas of operation in good shape when they cease operations and therefore Maoketsa said in Boteti, they have funded several infrastructure projects in the education space to support the district.
The projects include construction of classrooms and administration block at Mokoboxane Primary School, a classroom Block at Supang Primary School as well as five (5) fully furnished classrooms at Seaseole Primary, classrooms at Orapa Junior Secondary School, Tsienyane Special Education Classroom block amongst others.
“We have a new project due to begin in the near future being the construction of a classroom block at Mmea Primary School where P2.6 million has been committed,” he said.
Furthermore, Maoketsa said in the health space they spend a substantial amount of money every year in offering health services to community members at no cost at their health facility.
In addition, he said, they have funded a multi-million maternity ward to the tune of P5.3 million at Letlhakane Primary Hospital to ease congestion and improve access to high quality health care for the people of Boteti. He said in their continued effort to impact the healthcare space positively, they are going to fund the refurbishment of a Theatre at Rakops Primary Hospital at a cost of P4.2 million to improve clinical outcomes of emergencies in Boteti. Currently, Rakops Primary Hospital does not offer theatre services but refer to other hospitals.
Maoketsa said Debswana is committed to leverage their purchasing power and influence to achieve socio-economic development objectives through Citizen Economic Empowerment Programme (CEEP), to increase the participation of Botswana citizen-owned Small, Micro, Medium Enterprises (SMMES) in their supply chain, which will in the long-term enhance the capacity and sustainability of the local supply base. He said the key focus is on accelerating the attainment of citizen spend of P20 billion and creation of 20,000 jobs.
Recognising past and present Debswana employees and business partners, Maoketsa said without their hard work and unwavering commitment, the company will not be where it is today. He said Debswana will remain steadfast in ensuring they leave behind an enduring legacy now and beyond diamond mining.