Gems of Hope

By NJABULO NCUBE

W ith traditional international Western donors reluctant to loosen their purse strings, SouthernAfrican nations are now pinning their hopes of economic recovery on an anticipated diamondboom. The precious mineral is literally mined by bare hands in some parts of Southern Africaas new large deposits continue to be discovered in and around this impoverished part of the world,where many people survive on less than a dollar a day. Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa andZimbabwe all boast large deposits of diamonds, which are yet to be commercially exploited. Accordingto the World Diamond Council (WDC), revenues earned from the gemstones enable every child inBotswana to receive free education up to the age of 13, for instance. In fact the Botswana economy isfueled by its blossoming diamond trade, resulting in the country reporting surpluses almost every year,