16 May 2021

Jwaneng mine has been lauded for being a point of reference and a benchmark model.

Speaking in an interview during a tour of the mine on Wednesday, chairperson of a parliamentary portfolio committee on wildlife, tourism, natural resources and climate change, Mr Polson Majaga said the mine recently scored position one in the global market for safety.

Mr Majaga, who is also MP for Nata-Gweta, encouraged the mine management to continue with the good work of being a leader in the industry and mining for development. He added that Botswana’s diamonds had a socio-economic impact on the lives of citizens.

He also noted that Botswana had managed to leverage its diamond production to bring development to people and avoid some of the problems encountered by other countries with mineral resources.

He said the country’s diamonds were the mainstay of the economy.

Mr Majaga said as the mining industry contributed significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), there was need to protect it as well as the tourism industry which was the second highest contributor to GDP.

He revealed that Jwaneng mine also scored position one in service delivery against 38 Anglo American operations internationally, thus making it a good benchmark. 

He said the parliamentary committee’s visit to the mine was a learning curve as they shed light on the mining processes and how it improved the livelihoods of people in its zone of influence.

The committee was on a country wide tour to get first-hand information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mining and tourism sectors, among other issues.

Briefing the committee, Jwaneng mine’s assistant general manager, Mr Mogakolodi Maoketsa said the visit was an opportunity for them to grow, and he thanked the delegation for their valuable input. ends