That a piece of land within the luxurious Okavango Delta measuring 8 kilometers by 21 kilometers will be dispossessed from the tribes to the state has been an open secret in the past three months or so.
The latest revelation, which came as a shock to some sectors of the society is that the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) played a critical role behind the scenes to ensure a swift transfer of ownership of the land in question.
The revelation was made on Friday by the Minister in the Office of the President – Kabo Morwaeng. Morwaeng said that the detribalisation of a portion of Moremi Game Reserve (NG/28) and (NG/21) in the Okavango Delta was facilitated by the once notorious DIS.
Initially, Morwaeng’s counterpart at Lands Ministry – Kefentse Mzwinila had told Parliament that the decision to acquire the piece of land in question was an initiative of his ministry. He also said that consultations were carried with Tribal leaders, North West District Council (NWDC) and the Tawana Landboard. At its July sitting, NWDC voted against the transfer while Batawana Tribal leaders are said to be carrying consultations with the tribes. Morwaeng’s recent answers in Parliament contradict the one given by Mzwinila about a month ago in terms of who initiated and spearheaded the transfer process.
Another claim made by the government enclave was that initially the Office of the President was the one which had applied for the detribalisation for a portion of the Moremi Game Reserve. The claim did not make reference to the DIS at the time.
This past week, Maun West Member of Parliament – Dumelang Saleshando, through a Parliamentary question quizzed if the Office of the President had developed management plans for all the land parcels they have identified for tourism ventures and also questioned the rationale for that office to engage in business ventures that compete directly with the private sector.
In his response to the questions, Morwaeng told Parliament that reserving spaces for vacation and retreating of VVIPS is an international best practice. He could not shed light on how the local communities will benefit from this acquisition. This is not the first time that the Botswana government is accused of dispossessing tribal land as the courts of law have in the past been treated to a show off between the Attorney General Chambers and the Basarwa tribesmen who were fighting for the Central Game Reserve (CKGR).
