This other entry is an equally sad story.  I wrote to my brother tonight who is teaching my course at the University of Geneva since I am here in Botswana.  I wanted him to tell my students tomorrow in Geneva with the hope it may sound another alarm bell. 



I wrote: Thought you might want to see a photo of these two brothers (see above) that we took today in the North East of Botswana just about on the Tropic of Capricorn, and 50Kms from the Zimbabwean border - we left at 5am and drove for 5 hours North...got back at 9pm whacked.  But I felt I had to tell someone their story.  The two boys aged 17 and 16 work as farmers on a cattle farm for $40 a month.  They live in tents in the open.  The eldest has been deported three times in the last three years.  He comes back immediately since easy to jump the fence (about 50kms away).  However each time he is caught he is beaten up, robbed by soldiers (who have removed their insignia) before being handed over to the immigrations cells in Francistown.. He spends 2 or three days there with other young Zimbabweans waiting to be sent back to Zimbabwe.  Some of the boys are raped by thugs.  There are also small kids there who the hiv/aids positive thugs believe that having sex with them will allow them to be cured.  You could imagine the hell.



There is nothing for the boys in Zimbabwe, no work, people starving because of Mugabe and his thugs.  They simply have to come back to Botswana to try and find work for their parenst who have nothing except the odd handout from the Government.  The boys are alone in the bush, not allowed health care since they have no papers.  They cant get papers since there is no paper in Zimbabwe. They are scared all the time..it was difficult for us to find and interview them.  They have no future.  Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia etc ignore the problem and they will say the March 29th elections in Zimbabwe will be fair.  All they do is round up the migrants and send them back.  This is repeated continually.



After we had spent time with them interviewing, they relaxed, went and changed into their best clothes so they could have a photo in our car - attached as well.  Breaks your heart dont it?



Botswana has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world.  It is the world's largest exporter of diamonds.  I went to see De Beers here yesterday, the lady I saw equates CSI (Corporate Social Investment) with CSR...I wonder what I can suggest to them about these boys?  I'll be giving a keynote to all the jewellery industry in Dubai in early April..be interesting to hear what our students think I should say! Certainly my stories will be prominent.



I hope you have time to show the students the photos tomorrow and read the above to, at least, raise consciousness.



I'll tell you in another e-mail about the economics student...tonight as I sip my wine in a comfortable hotel in Gabarone, she is suffering who knows what before being deported tomorrow.  I pleaded with the police chief to look after her and gave her my card - maybe they will take it off her and beat her up for talking to me..who knows.  What sick world!  By the way I spent $500 of our money to release another person from jail....but I'll write about that later.  I gave the boys some money....