Botswana: Kalahari Diamond-01/Kalahari

Date Filed
01 Nov 2004
Status
Closed
Phase
Assessment
Country
Botswana

Case Tracker

Eligibility
Eligibility
Assessment
Closed
Assessment
Dispute Resolution
Compliance
CURRENT Status
Assessment
Closed

Complaint Overview

Complainant

Representatives of the First People of the Kalahari

Cross-Cutting Issues
Risk Management Land Resettlement Indigenous Peoples Land Climate Change Impacts Women

Project Information

Region
Africa
Institution
IFC
Name & Number
Kalahari Diamond 20426
Company
Kalahari Diamond Resources PLC
Sector
Mining, Oil, Gas and Chemicals
Department
Other
Category
B
Commitment

$2 million (Equity)

Synopsis

Complaint

Kalahari Diamonds Ltd (KDL), operating as Sekaka Diamonds in Botswana, was granted licenses to prospect for diamonds over a wide area in Botswana, including the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Kalahari Diamonds is sponsored by BHP Billiton Plc, which have 20% ownership of the company. In November 2004, representatives of the First People of the Kalahari, Botswana lodged a complaint with CAO alleging that the project activities undermined the rights of the San Bushmen to remain in the reserve, which they claimed to be their ancestral homeland.

Action

The San People are an aboriginal hunter-gatherer group within southern Africa. The British colonial government, through the creation of the CKGR in 1962, granted the San preferential rights to access the reserve and partake in its resources. As a result of successive in-migrations of colonial and African tribal groups over the last century, the territory available to the San has diminished significantly. The CAO Ombudsman assessed the complaint in January 2005 and released a preliminary assessment report in March 2005. After receiving feedback form the complainants, project sponsors and IFC, CAO revised the assessment report.

Status

The Final Assessment Report, completed in June 2005, determined that the San people were in fact displaced as a result of a policy implemented by the Government of Botswana, which was entirely unrelated to the diamond exploration activities. CAO also found that the mine itself was neither invasive nor disruptive to the San’s traditional hunting and gathering way of life. Furthermore, the report emphasized that IFC should ensure that KDL continue its disclosure and consultation with affected people by actively disseminating information and deepening its relationship through frequency of meetings and representation. The complaint was closed in June 2006.

Case Documents

  • Complaint & Assessment

    Assessment Report
    Assessment Report
    Jun 24, 2005
    English
    Assessment Report
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