Diamond mining giant De Beers has hit back in its battle with Survival International, warning the organisation of ”serious consequences” should they continue to defame the company.
De Beers said in a statement on Tuesday it had no wish to be in dispute with Survival International.
”It cannot, however, ignore the sustained campaign against it and the dissemination to the media of untrue and misleading information damaging to the reputation of De Beers.”
Survival International — a world-wide organisation that aims to protect the land and human rights of tribal people — is accusing the company of forcing the Gana and Gwi Bushmen out of Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve to make way for mining.
Despite denials from De Beers and the Botswana government, it says the Bushmen have been told they will be chased away if diamonds are found. It also recently claimed that De Beers had compared indigenous
land rights to apartheid.
De Beers said on Tuesday it had taken legal advice and its solicitors had written to the organisation to inform them of the consequences of ”any further activity or statement” that would defame the company and its commercial interests.
”In correspondence over many months De Beers has provided information to Survival International about the true facts in relation to the allegations against De Beers.
”Unfortunately, this information has not been taken into account and indeed the public statements being made against De Beers by Survival International have become much more serious.”
It said European MP Glenys Kinnock had been to Botswana and was satisfied there was no connection between the existence of diamond deposits and ”the issue of the Bushmen” — a view supported by the
Botswana Centre for Human Rights.
Botswana’s President Festus Mogae has told that country’s Parliament there was no connection between diamond mining in the game reserve and the relocation of the Bushmen, De Beers said.
Earlier this month, Survival International placed a massive poster on the hoarding covering De Beers’ new retail outlet in London, replacing the image of model Iman wearing diamonds with a giant picture of a bushman woman and the slogan ”Bushmen Aren’t Forever”. – Sapa