Botswana Guardian

Bakhwe, Govt clash over land in Orapa

- Nicholas Mokwena

The fight for land rights between Bakhwe, popularly referred to as the San, and government especially in the diamond mining town of Orapa continues to rage on.

For years now, the government has been fighting with the San in areas where mining takes place and relocating them where there are no amenities.

After accusing government of trampling on the rights and dignity of the San, the Botswana Khwedom Council has written to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands expressing concern on what it says is abuse of Bakhwe people and denying them any basic human rights enjoyed by other citizens of this country.

This comes after the Lethakane Sub Landboard allocated residentia­l plots on the same land occupied by the Bakhwe indicating that those occupying the land are squatters.

Keikabile Mogodu, Executive Director of Botswana Khwedom Council said they are calling upon the Ministry of Lands to ask Letlhakane Landboard to stop allocating land on plots occupied by Bakhwe people.

“We know this is done with impunity because the authoritie­s think that ‘ ke Masarwa’.” He stated in the letter that since diamonds were discovered in Orapa and Letlhakane, Bakhwe people have lived under threat of disregard of their basic human rights and relocation from their land. He said for Bakhwe, diamonds have been a curse and not a blessing. “They have been removed from their land they occupied for hundreds and hundreds of years to give way to diamond mining. During the extension of Orapa mine to create a Park and the discoverin­g of diamonds at Damtshaa, Bakhwe were removed and dumped at Buuhe ( Metsiaela) without any social amenities, like roads, telecommun­ication, school, clinic, among others. “As if that is not enough, now the Letlhakane Sub Landboard has gone on a rampage to allocate the land that they are living on to other people claiming that they are squatting. We do not know where Landboard thinks these people should go and what will happen with their children who are at school.

“Maybe Landboard should take them back to where they were relocated from. We do not understand why the Government of Botswana is going out of its way to fight Bakhwe people,” he explained. Mogodu reminded the Government of Botswana that Bakhwe people are as much citizens of Botswana, as are Batswana, and like the latter, they need to be protected from any human rights abuse, whether it is from Government or any other authority.

Khwedom Council Representa­tive in Letlhakane, Boteti district, Banyatsi Salatu said scores of Buuhe residents are being displaced from the plots they resided in when relocated from cattlepost­s and Makolwane settlement.

He revealed that San families were persuaded by government officials to relocate to Letlhakane mining town with the promise of better access to water, education, health, and social services, and many settled in Buuhe and Phase 1 wards in Letlhakane where other San people reside.

“Some of the relocated residents in Buuhe and Phase 1 wards were allocated residentia­l plots by Letlhakane Sub Land Board, while others were permitted to occupy land and built their homes in open spaces in and around Buuhe and Phase 1 wards, with the promise that they will be formally allocated the plots in due course.

“To the shock of many, Letlhakane Sub Land Board officials arrived unannounce­d on October 25th 2022 morning with a group of people to be allocated residentia­l plots on the same land occupied by San families relocated from cattle- posts and Makolwane settlement­s”. Efforts by Khwedom Council and the local chief to stop new allocation­s were futile, revealed Salutu, adding that as a result, the affected families had to immediatel­y vacate their land to pave way for new residents. According to Salutu, children of the affected families missed school, while their families were running helter- skelter moving household goods and trying to find alternativ­e accommodat­ion. Efforts to speak to the Letlhakane Sub Landboard were futile at press time as the Secretary Ntebaleng Thapelo was said to be in a meeting.

 ?? ?? Minister of Lands and Water affairs Kefentse Mzwinila_ 1A9055
Minister of Lands and Water affairs Kefentse Mzwinila_ 1A9055

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