The History of the Establishment of Orapa Mine and Township, 1971–2016

The Orapa mine was established in 1971 after the discovery of diamonds in the Orapa area in 1967. The exploration for diamonds was conducted by De Beers Concessions, with some Batswana who were employed as general labourers. However, the exploration for minerals had begun during the colonial period in the then Bechuanaland Protectorate. Upon the De Beers discovery of diamonds, the Botswana government formed a joint company with De Beers called De Beers Botswana (Debswana) to spearhead the establishment of both the mine and the township of Orapa. At the time of the founding of the Orapa township, the government of Botswana was preoccupied with the establishment of the Shashe Project to establish the town of Selebi Phikwe for the copper-nickel mine, following the discovery of copper and nickel in the area in the early 1960s. As a result of the Shashe Project, De Beers played a leading role in setting up the Orapa mine and its associated works. De Beers dictated the terms in the establishment of Orapa, mainly because the company had more financial resources and technical expertise than the newly established and impoverished government of Botswana had. Farming communities in the Orapa area, including the San or Basarwa, were forced to relocate to pave the way for the mining activity. Orapa was then established as the only closed town with strictly controlled entry. This paper traces the discovery of diamonds at Orapa and the development of the town, and covers sections on securing diamonds against smuggling, race relations, government and De Beers relations, and local administration. Issues that arose from the apartheid-style closed nature of a town in a democratic society are also indicated.