A classic De Beers story culled from the realm of apocrypha finds Louis Nchindo, at the peak of his career, in a group managers’ retreat. The topic of discussion is “How De Beers made Botswana”. De Beers managers are smacking their lips and thumbing their breasts with pride.
The late Debswana Managing Director, a champion of Botswana’s citizen economic empowerment who never toned down his act to accommodate his foreign counterparts reputedly said, “No. The topic of discussion should be: How Botswana made De Beers.”
Alliance for Progressives (AP) President Ndaba Gaolathe whose father Baledzi Gaolathe elbowed out Nchindo from the Debswana corner office however seemed sold to the idea that De Beers made Botswana and not the other way round.
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