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Ancestral land conflict over the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) arose in the 1970s between the government of Botswana and the San people (Bushmen), and is ongoing, resulting in one of the most expensive court cases in the history of Botswana.

In the 1970s, conflict began over the relocation efforts by the government of Botswana (GOB), which ultimately led to some resettlement outside of the reserve in the 1990s. Due to the ongoing struggle between the San people and the GOB over land rights, the "First People of the Kalahari," an organization advocating for the rights of the San people was founded. Debates revolve around whether diamond discovery in reserve, could be the motivation for relocation efforts taken by the government of Botswana. In 2002, the government cut off all services to CKGR residents. A legal battle began, and in 2006 the High Court of Botswana ruled that the residents had been forcibly and unconstitutionally removed. The policy of relocation continued, however, and in 2012 the San people appealed to the United Nations to compel the government to recognize their land and resource rights.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

San People (Bushmen)

In the 1950s, there was an increased concern on minority populations in Africa by the United States, South Africa, and Great Britain. They launched investigations and research campaigns to have a more extensive understanding of the problems faced by minority populations in Africa. In Botswana, "there was pressure from some sources for changes in the way the San were treated, with some academics suggesting that the San be given a place of their own." In 1958, the Bechuanaland Protectorate government designated George Silberbauer to perform research and find resolutions to the issues facing the San people. As a result of his investigation, in 1961, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) was established to give the San a place of their own and to protect the surrounding flora and fauna. Although Silberbauer wanted the establishment of a "people reserve", at the time, no law permitted it. However, the CKGR is "unique in that it was created not only as a nature reserve but also to protect the rights of around 5000 people, mostly San, living within its borders, who wanted to maintain their hunter-gatherer lifestyles."

Early Conflict

San People in the Kalahari

Although the establishment of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) was intended to protect the rights of minorities, between the 1970s and 1980s, an urge to relocate the San people started. The government of Botswana (GOB) claimed that there was a decline of animals due to overhunting by the San people for their subsistence. There was also the argument that the status of "game reserve" blocked the possibilities of an expansion of services, such as hospitals, schools, and police, available to the populations within the reserve. Although calls for relocation began, no concrete actions were taken.

By the late 1980s, debates on what to do with the San people continued, and tensions rose between the San people and the government, bringing international attention over the rights of the San people. In August 1985, Minister of Commerce and Industry, M.P.K. Nwako, was sent by the GOB to the CKGR to provide a report on the situation and present a solution. With his statement, on July 15, 1986, a White paper was issued stating that the new GOB policy noted that those living within the reserve were to be relocated somewhere else. On October 12, 1986, "the GOB announced that the settlements of its “Remote Area Dweller” (RAD) program, which provided services to the San, among others, would from that point forward be established only outside of the CKGR." The GOB claimed that the relocations would be beneficial for the San because services could be better distributed outside of the reserve since it is difficult to do so inside the reserve. Additionally, the government stated that the San people had to be relocated because they posed a threat to wildlife. However, occupants of the reserve attended what are known as "Kgotla," local council meetings at the Ghazni township, where they expressed their concerns and, ultimately, were saved from relocating.

As the GOB continued to find ways to remove the residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the residents and its foreign supporters, like Survival International and anti-apartheid leaders, found ways to evade the government's relocation efforts. In April 1989, the human rights group, Survival International, took action on behalf of the San people and released an "Urgent Action Bulletin on the issue of the forced relocation of people out of the reserve." Additionally, Survival International and other human rights organizations wrote letters to the GOB, particularly the President's Office and the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing, over their efforts for the San peoples resettlement.

In the early 1990s, relocation efforts intensified. The government slowed down the delivery of services to people inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, in efforts to push people out on their own. The government would claim that these services would once again be available when they resettled outside the reserve. However, the San were concerned that they would be pushed to resettle in crowded areas where they would continue to struggle over access to services. Some residents did eventually relocate on their own; however, after some time, they returned to the reserve because they claimed that there was not enough land in the new settlement and that there was ongoing competition for the limited resources.

In 1992, a meeting and a workshop, where the San, alongside their representatives, expressed their concerns and the problems they faced over relocation, led to world attention on the issue. The workshop "Sustainable Rural Development hosted on April 13, 1992, in Gaborone, allowed the San to express the problems they faced in Botswana. Additionally, a meeting was organized between the San and the Office and the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing on May 18, 1992, where the San demanded the creation of political structures where they would be represented and have a vote over decisions that would impact them. In response to San demands, the government of Botswana claimed that the San, with foreign support, wished to secede from Botswana.

First People of the Kalahari

As an organization to represent and advocate for the San people during its early conflicts, the "First People of the Kalahari," also known as "Kgeikani Kweni," was founded in October 1993 by John Hardbattle, Roy Sesana, and Aron Johannes. The creation of this advocacy organization was the result of the ongoing struggle for minorities' land and resource rights. The San people felt like they needed a representative to voice out their needs and assist with their fight for equal rights in Botswana. Between 1986 and 1989, the San and other minority groups in the CKGR were politically active and founded the Kuru Development Fund, a multipurpose organization with the goal of community development. The Kuru Development Fund critical in the founding of the "First People of the Kalahari," because it provided funding and because it encouraged its founder, John Hardbattle, to represent and advocate for the San.

The "First People of the Kalahari" represented the San people in the First International San Conference in Windhoek and in the Second International San Conference in Gaborone on October 1993. At these conferences, the San spokespersons identified the problems faced by the San, such as "poverty, alienation from land and resources, lack of political representation at the national level, labour exploitation, discrimination, lack of attention paid specifically to San but rather a focus on a bureaucratically defined group known as Remote Area Dwellers, and the Botswana government failure to support land rights, cultural rights and development rights of San peoples." Ultimately, these conferences led to the registration of the "First People of the Kalahari" as a recognized organization with the government of Botswana and the inauguration of their own office in Gaborone in 1994.

"The First People of Kalahari." would ultimately lead the San people to "the largest historical and active resistance" against the government's efforts to relocate them. In 2002, the San People, alongside their representatives, took the government of Botswana to court to fight for their right to remain in the CKGR and access the natural resources within it. Ultimately in 2006, the Botswana High court acknowledged the right of the San people to reside in the reserve.

Diamonds and Land conflict

Today, the economy of Botswana is heavily reliant on diamond exports. With the discovery of diamonds in 1967, they came to account for fifty percent of Botswana's GDP. However, before the discovery of diamonds, Botswana was heavily dependent on agriculture. Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world, with a GDP per capita of 80 dollars per year. There are claims that the GOB attempts to relocate the San people are motivated by the discovery of diamonds in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in the late 1980s. Survival International explains that "The reserve's rich diamond deposits have been widely blamed for the government's expulsion of the Bushmen." Others emphasize that GOB arguments for relocating the San people, like development and animal conservation, are contradicted by the government's actions like cutting off the water supply, which prevents their development. In 2002, the president of Botswana, Festus Mogae, argued that the efforts to relocate people from the CKGR had nothing to do with any future mining plans or mining inside the reserve. However, others explain that "diamond mining is now the core of Botswana’s economy...nearly all of Botswana’s advancements in infrastructure, healthcare, and education are the result of diamond revenues.” Additionally, the CKGR is considered to be “the richest diamond-producing area in the world.”

Although the government of Botswana denies the relocation policy to be influenced by the discovery of diamonds in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, they have also publicly mentioned that "mining rights in Botswana, according to the Constitution, belong to the State regardless of who owns the land." While some believe that diamond discovery could be the reason why the GOB has placed so much efforts for relocating the San people, some argue that discovery of diamonds are not to blame. The claim is that if diamonds were discovered and a mine would have to be established, the amount of land it would need would be minimal, and would not interfere with the lives of the San people.

Methods of Forced Relocation

Between 1997 and 2001, most of the inhabitants in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, like the San people, were relocated to the village of New Xade. However, there are concerns that these relocations were not under the consent of the inhabitants. Various methods by the government of Botswana were implemented to induce the inhabitants to voluntarily relocate. These methods included - forbidding hunting practices during relocations, cut access to water supply, and seized peoples livestock. The government of Botswana also explained to the CKGR residents that these services would be reinstated once they relocated to the new settlement.