The case against De Beers

Where is this happening?

In the Kalahari desert, in the southern African country of Botswana.
The Kalahari has been inhabited by different groups of Bushmen hunter-gatherers since time immemorial.
In the middle of Botswana lies the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, a reserve created to protect the traditional territory of the Bushmen, and the game they depend on.

The Bushmen whose ancestral land is inside the reserve belong to three groups, each speaking their own language: the Gana, Gwi and Tsila.
All have lived there for thousands of years.
During the last 1,500 years a fourth group, called the Bakgalagadi, have also settled there and inter-married with the others.

The reserve lies in the middle of the richest diamond-producing area in the world.
In the early 1980s, diamonds were discovered inside it.
From 1985 onwards, Botswana ministers went into the reserve to tell the Bushmen living there that they would have to leave because of the diamond finds.
In three big campaigns, in 1997, 2002 and 2005, virtually all the Bushmen were forced out.
They now live in camps outside the reserve.

De Beers operates all Botswana’s diamond mines and markets all its diamonds.
It retains the biggest known diamond find in the reserve – at a Bushman community called Gope – under licence.
It operates in Botswana under a 50:50 joint venture with the Botswanan government called ‘Debswana’.
As well as owning half of Debswana, the Botswana government owns 15% of De Beers as a whole.
Senior government figures are on the Debswana board.
Botswana’s President describes his government and De Beers as ‘Siamese twins’.

Debswana’s managing director at the time of the 2002 eviction backed the forced removals, saying, ‘The government was justified in removing the Basarwa (Bushmen)… It is sensible of government to take such action.’
De Beers falsely alleges that there were no Bushmen living at Gope before it started its test mine. It is in fact part of the Bushmen’s ancestral territory.
The company opposes the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights in Africa (although it has a different position in North America, where indigenous organisations are more powerful).
It has said that it hopes to mine in the reserve in the future. The Botswana government has also said it will not hesitate to open mines inside the reserve.