Court: Debswana can continue using toilet secret cameras

Botswana’s diamond mining giant, Debswana has been given a nod by a local high court to continue using surveillance cameras in toilets used by employees to avert diamond theft.  
About 40 Debswana employees had filed a court application seeking for damages of up to $630 000 each for “invasion of their privacy”’ after discovering the secret cameras.
Africa Review quoted High Court Judge Isaac Lesetedi as saying in his ruling that the theft of diamonds would negatively impact on the country’s economy, which was largely dependent on revenue from the precious stones.
“Whenever invasion of privacy of this nature is mentioned in a society such as ours a lot of uniformed emotional outrage arises,” he said.
“It is only when a full picture has emerged that a more balanced reaction may emerge.”
The cameras were installed in 2000 after intelligence reports that some employees were using the toilets to hide diamonds in their anal cavities.
Africa Review reported that Debswana also forbids employees from handshakes, or covering mouths when sneezing as part of its security measures.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished