Botswana diamond slump hits miners living on the edge of survival

Motshwegwa Rakhudu lost his job after 14 years as an installer at Debswana, retrenched without warning by Enabler Hires in 2025. He took a loan of 26,000 pula to buy a car, leaving him in debt with no compensation. Diamond production fell 27% in 2025, triggering massive layoffs in mining communities. Gaotlhobogwe Radikwata, a senior manager at Enabler Hires, refused to comment on the retrenchments.