Botswanan gov't denies keeping bushmen off ancestral lands
GABARONE (AFP) — Botswana's government denied Friday accusations it was preventing bushmen from returning to their ancestral lands despite a court ruling last year granting them that right.
The San bushmen, who were evicted from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in 2002, have accused the government of refusing to transport them back, let them hunt, or supply them with water.
"Every bushman is free to go home, we have always made our stance clear," said foreign ministry spokesman Clifford Mariba.
"Those who have opted to remain at their current settlements have remained behind to enjoy a wide range of social amenities offered by the government."
Maribe said bushmen living in the reserve were "at liberty to make their own arrangements to bring in unlimited amounts of water," as the court decision did not compel the government to provide it.
He also said special game licenses had been issued to the hunter-gatherers.
The San were evicted from the game reserve in 2002 and placed in six settlements just outside the CKGR, but some 210 bushmen then took the government to court with the assistance of British NGO Survival International.
The San's attempt to return to the reserve resulted in Botswana's longest ever court case, which ended last year when a judge ruled they were driven out of the Kalahari desert unlawfully.
The First People of the Kalahari (FPK), a non-governmental organisation campaigning for the rights of the bushmen, has previously threatened the government with a return to court if their latest demands are not met.
FPK spokesman Roy Sesana could not be reached for comment after Friday's government statement.
Once numbering millions, roughly 100,000 San are left in southern Africa, with almost half of them -- 48,000 -- in Botswana. Others are spread across Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
