Africa-Press – Botswana. The future of one of the world’s leading diamond companies, De Beers Group and the nature of its partnership with Botswana were key issues deliberated upon as President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi hosted Anglo American CEO, Mr Duncan Wanblad at the Office of the President.
Minister of Minerals and Energy, Mr Lefoko Moagi revealed this in an interview after a courtesy call on the President by Mr Wanblad, who is also the De Beers Group chairperson, accompanied by De Beers CEO, Mr Al Cook, and the company resident director, Mr Neo Moroka.
Mr Moagi said with Botswana being a 15 per cent shareholder of De Beers and Anglo American holding the majority 85 per cent in the diamond trading giant, discussions centred around safeguarding Botswana’s interest in Anglo’s plans to divest its stake in De Beers.
“Mr Wanblad informed President Masisi about last month’s bid by BHP Billiton to acquire Anglo American, which was not successful. Also the ongoing plans by Anglo to sell their shares in De Beers were discussed, since we are an interested party as a shareholder. President Masisi informed our partners that we are interested in partaking in that sale, including assessing if we could increase our share holding,” Mr Moagi said.
He added that the conclusion of the Botswana and De Beers partnership agreement, which was scheduled to be signed on June 28, would be delayed by a couple of weeks as there were some slight grey areas that needed to be finalised.
Also speaking to BOPA after meeting the President, Mr Wanblad said it had taken place in an affable manner as the two partners shared the latest information around the structure of their diamond business.
“We have met His Excellency many times in our partnership with Botswana and we have had a very cordial, fruitful meeting on how we progress this for the next few years. BHP made an unsolicited bid for the whole of Anglo American which includes De Beers; that has finished and gone away. What we still have, we are in the process of talking of Anglo selling or demerging our stake in De Beers and that is what I was speaking with the President about,” Mr Wanblad said.
Mr Wanblad said Anglo American continued to value Botswana as an important partner and fellow shareholder in De Beers and there was a need for dialogue between the two partners before any changes were effected.
“The government of Botswana and Anglo American have enjoyed many fruitful decades of partnership, which I believe will continue until our stake is eventually divested or demerged. Without a doubt this (planned sale) had absolutely nothing to do with our relationship with the Government of Botswana. This is about day lighting the true value of DMINISTRY ALLOCATES P45M FOR CORDON OF FENCE
26 Jun 2024
Due to limited resources and other challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture has prioritised maintenance of cordon fences that separate FMD free zones from infected ones.
Responding to a question at Ntlo Ya Dikosi on Monday, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Talita Monnakgotla indicated that it was for that reason that the Ministry of
Agriculture diverted funds to the tune of P45 million from other projects in favour of erecting a cordon fence from Mabule to Tlhareseleele/Ramatlabama, to protect the country from the threat of FMD from South Africa.
“Consequently, maintenance of inter zonal fences within FMD free zones such as zones nine and 10 tend to lag behind but this does not mean that these fences are abandoned.
The ministry will increasingly resort to partnering with communities living along these fences for their maintenance through programmes such as Ipelegeng,” he said.
Ms Monnakgotla said that there were however, no immediate plans to erect boom gates at Makoro, Rantseane and Martins Drift point of entry from Sherwood to check and control movement of livestock into the Palapye area for similar reasons.
She said that there were currently 42 permanent veterinary officers deployed as gatekeepers at all these gates.
Ms Monnakgotla was responding to a question from Kgosi Johane Rakumako of Tswapong region asked when the ministry intended to maintain cordon fences between Zone nine and zone 10 in areas between Lecheng, Matlhakola up to Lerala veterinary gate as the fence was currently down, resulting in rampant cross border theft.
Kgosi Rakumako also asked if the ministry would consider erecting boom gates at Makoro, Rantseane and Martins Drift points of entry from Sherwood to check and control movement of livestock into the Palapye area.
He also wanted to know the number of permanent veterinary officers deployed to all the mentioned gates.e Beers, getting it into the right hands, right ownership and the right structure so the absolute essence of De Beers is visible to the world than it is under Anglo,” Mr Wanblad said.
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