IShowSpeed Unknowingly Exposes That Botswana Diamond Workers Can't Buy Their Own Diamonds---Here's Why

When IShowSpeed asked a simple question during his Botswana livestream — 'Can I buy some diamonds?' — he stumbled into one of Africa's most contentious economic debates.

The 20-year-old streamer, currently on a 28-day tour across 20 African nations, was stunned to learn that Botswana, the world's second-largest diamond producer, doesn't sell rough diamonds directly to individuals. Not to locals. Not to tourists. Not even to viral YouTubers with 150 million followers.

The moment, captured during his 'Speed Does Africa' tour and shared widely on social media, sparked a wave of commentary about resource access, colonial-era contracts, and who really benefits from Africa's mineral wealth.

The answer is more complicated than viral clips suggest.

What IShowSpeed Actually Discovered

During a stop at what appears to be a Debswana facility, IShowSpeed asked who he would need to speak with to purchase diamonds.

The response was blunt: sales go through Debswana or approved site holders, and they only sell to two contracted buyers.

When Speed pressed further, asking if he could purchase a 'rough diamond', he was told no. The stones are locked into pre-existing sales agreements that govern who can buy, sell, and export Botswana's diamonds.

Social media reactions were swift. One user on X wrote that Speed was 'witnessing decades of misinformation undone with a single trip'. Others expressed frustration that Botswana sits on enormous mineral wealth while ordinary citizens have no direct access to uncut stones.

How Botswana's Diamond System Actually Works

Botswana's diamond industry operates through Debswana, a 50-50 joint venture between the government and De Beers, the South African mining giant founded in 1888 by Cecil Rhodes with financing from the Rothschild banking family.

Under the current system, rough diamonds mined in Botswana are allocated as follows:

The state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) receives 30% of Debswana's production, rising to 40% over the ten-year agreement signed in February 2025, with potential to reach 50% if an extension is granted.

De Beers takes the remaining 70%, declining to 60% and potentially 50% over the contract period.

Neither party sells rough diamonds to individual buyers. Stones move through industrial channels to cutters, polishers, and jewellery manufacturers in Belgium, India, and elsewhere.

This is standard practice in the global diamond trade. What makes Botswana unusual is the sheer scale of what's leaving the country.

One social media user explained: 'De Beers own all mineral rights in the Southern part of Africa. They deal with you through the government... They started during slavery... possibly funded Apartheid and the new democracy we enjoy today'.

Another noted, 'Because they own the lifetime license, you get arrested if found with rough cuts'. In other words, even attempting to purchase a diamond outside official channels is illegal.

The Numbers Behind the Paradox

According to the IMF, diamonds account for roughly 80% of Botswana's exports, one-third of government revenue, and approximately 25% of GDP.

In 2024, Botswana produced 28.2 million carats, valued at approximately $3.31 billion, according to Kimberley Process data. That makes it the world's second-largest producer by volume (after Russia) and consistently among the top two by value.

The country's four major mines — Jwaneng, Orapa, Letlhakane, and Damtshaa — supply approximately 70% of De Beers' rough diamonds.

Mining licenses for these operations have been extended through to 2054.

What Botswana Is Doing to Reclaim Control

The February 2025 agreement represents Botswana's strongest negotiating position in the partnership's history.

Beyond the increased allocation to ODC, the deal includes a 'Diamonds for Development Fund' — a billion-pula investment from De Beers aimed at creating jobs outside the mining sector.

De Beers has also committed to establishing a grading laboratory and vocational training institute in Botswana, and to co-investing in marketing campaigns.

President Duma Boko's government has signalled interest in acquiring Anglo American's stake in De Beers outright, which would give Botswana majority control of its own diamond industry for the first time.

If anything, IShowSpeed's viral moment has brought attention to a larger conversation about ownership, access, and economic justice in a country that's already considered wealthy of natural resources.