Botswana newspaper criticizes government’s racism towards Bushmen

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An editorial in one of Botswana’s leading daily newspapers, Mmegi, has criticized the Botswana government for its racist attitude and undemocratic actions towards the Bushmen.

The piece, entitled ‘The executive must respect the judiciary’ coincided with the third anniversary of the landmark court case which ruled that the Bushmen of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) had been unlawfully evicted from their land and had the right to live there.

Since this ruling Bushmen who have returned to the CKGR have been denied access to a borehole for water. Meanwhile, the government has sunk boreholes in the reserve for wildlife, and allowed the construction of a tourist resort and swimming pool within it.

The newspaper describes this as one in a series of ‘actions of a bitter government that is hell bent on disrespecting the judiciary’, and speaks of a ‘vindictive state machinery’ and ‘men and women who act with impunity’, by not allowing the Bushmen to refurbish a borehole even at their own cost.

The editorial states that, ‘in the Basarwa (Bushman) case, our government has repeatedly flunked the democratic test’. It hopes that people will ‘suppress their prejudice’ and read the letter by Survival International’s director Stephen Corry published by the newspaper.

The editorial concludes that ‘This is homicide by another name and our government cannot be proud of the reckless and shameful conduct that seems to place no value in human life no matter how they are despised’.

The Bushmen have launched legal proceedings against the government, to claim their right to use the water borehole they used previously inside the reserve.