The Director of Khwedom Council, Keibakile Mogodu, has criticized reports that government intends to relocate about 600 Basarwa from Ranyane Settlement, about 200 kilometers from Gantsi, saying by making such move, the government has “declared war on our people”.
Mogodu also said that it seems as though the Botswana government will never tolerate Basarwa in Botswana and will do everything it can to destroy any trace of “the first people of this land”.
He further charged that the government is currently refusing to recognize Ranyane as a settlement and that, instead of providing its people with services, the government has chosen to remove them from the settlement on the pretext that they are living on an animal corridor within wildlife management area.
Ranyane, he further said, is surrounded by commercial farms and this is the reason the government wants to relocate Basarwa – to create land for commercial famers.
Mogodi said that the government has, over the years, been relocating Basarwa for the sake of commercial famers and that it now seems she is repeating it.
“The government is basically repeating what she has been doing over the past years by relocating Basarwa for the sake of commercial farmers,” he said.
In the past the government was criticized for relocating Basarwa from the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve. The matter led to a lengthy legal battle, which the Basarwa finally won.
The matter is, however, believed to be heading back to the Court again as Basarwa are complaining that the government is ignoring the Court order issued at the end of the case.
