Botswana Mining Leaders Given Boot by Debswana

Government-certified leaders of the Botswana Mining Workers’ Union (BMWU) were escorted off property of Debswana’s largest diamond mine, Orapa, on 4 October by security guards.

Chimbidzani Chimidza and Jack Tlhagale were on site to conduct elections for BMWU’s Orapa branch committee, per the union’s constitution. Debswana, the joint diamond-mining enterprise of DeBeers and the government of Botswana, is refusing the recognise the union’s new leadership, several of whom have been unjustly sacked by the company and BCL, a separate zinc and copper mining employer in the southern African nation.