How CKGR Evictions Massacred the Native Citizens (Basarwa) Through HIV/AIDS

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 5(1), pp. 75-90, March 2017 ISSN: 2354-2160 Review Brutal development agenda by political panjandrums in Botswana: How CKGR evictions massacred the native citizens (Basarwa) through HIV/AIDS Dama Mosweunyane Department of Adult Education, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Accepted 13 October, 2016 ABSTRACT The political and economic empowerment of Basarwa in Botswana has never generated a lot of interest in the manner it did following their eviction from Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Most human rights organisations, amongst them Survival International, did bring to the center stage the evictions of Basarwa from Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). CKGR was established for Basarwa by the British government in 1961 and they have stayed in the area since. The evictions of Basarwa from CKGR culminated into various arguments been generated by governments and NGOs, which were for and against. The government of Botswana advanced that its actions were encouraged by its desire to protect environmental resources and ameliorate the living conditions of Basarwa. The narratives against the government of Botswana centred on the counter argument that the government wanted to start diamond mining following prospecting. What comes out clearly is that Basarwa were not sufficiently consulted before their evictions from CKGR nor were they given any knowledge on HIV/AIDS. This article argues that the government of Botswana did not consult Basarwa before evicting them from CKGR and its actions resulted in Basarwa getting infected with HIV/AIDS. The Basarwa communities have experienced increased mortality, which can be attributed to their unlawful evictions by the Government of Botswana from their ancestral land. The position that the government of Botswana took to evict Basarwa from CKGR without first educating them on HIV/AIDS was never advanced even during the case that Basarwa had against the government of Botswana. It is important to note that Basarwa got infected by HIV and some have since died from AIDS as a result of their unconstitutional eviction from CKGR that was masterminded and carried out by the government of Botswana. Keywords: Botswana, Basarwa, HIV/AIDS, evictions, Central Kalahari Game Reserve. E-mail: [email protected]. INTRODUCTION Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest that such reasons were advanced by the government of game reserve in the world. It is larger than Denmark or Botswana. The government of Botswana resettled over Switzerland and bigger than Lesotho and Swaziland 1,100 people outside the CKGR in May to June 1997 combined. This is a place where Basarwa have lived (Hitchcock, 2002:805). In this article, the author attempts probably for a thousand of years (Botswana Tourism to examine reasons that prompted the government of Board, 2006). In the 1970s and 1980s, pressure to Botswana to forcibly evict Basarwa from Central Kalahari remove Basarwa from Central Kalahari Game Reserve Game Reserve (CKGR), despite strong opposition from (CKGR) by the government of Botswana began to build International Non-Governmental Organisations such as up for several reasons, such as declining wildlife Survival International and high profile personalities. numbers and the grazing of the domestic livestock in the The article provides some strong opposition to the reserve. To be precise, it will be correct only to qualify explanation provided by the government of Botswana, Afr Educ Res J 76 which is that, the government wished to ensure that participation in the evictions. As indicated in the study park’s integrity as a nature reserve was maintained, and that examined the knowledge, behaviour and attitudes of that it wished to integrate Basarwa into the country’s Basarwa towards HIV/AIDS, which was conducted by Dr. social and economic life (African Conservation Dama Mosweunyane of the University of Botswana in Foundation, 2007:1). As it is argued in this article, the 2004 in Ghanzi District, it emerged that Basarwa were government of Botswana evicted Basarwa from CKGR not equipped with any knowledge on HIV/AIDS before with full knowledge that there was the HIV/AIDS scourge and during their unconstitutional evictions. The that had already started claiming lives in Botswana participants in the study were drawn from the whole The paper argues that the eviction of Basarwa from district of Ghanzi including New Xade, which is a place to CKGR was prompted by the heinous motive to cleanse which they were moved. The study revealed that them, knew certainly that evictions of Basarwa without Basarwa were ignorant about HIV/AIDS, which means any education on HIV/AIDS was likely to lead to disruptions of their lives resulting from their evictions from infections, which would gradually claim their lives. The CKGR placed their lives in jeopardy. There is government of Botswana knew that the eviction of overwhelming evidence that there is a clear connection Basarwa from CKGR during the HIV/AIDS era will result between movement of people and the spread of in infections of Basarwa, leading to their significant HIV/AIDS. According to Klein (2001), restrictions on the mortality. migration of people with HIV have usually been justified. The paper therefore provides argues that the It has to be noted that Botswana government did not test government of Botswana did not observe the rights of those people who came in contact with Basarwa during Basarwa and intentionally risked their lives in evicting their evictions nor provided Basarwa with measures to them without first educating them about the pandemic. As protect themselves. noted by Moran (1990) education has been named as the The uncompromising position of the government of most significant means of fighting the spread of the virus Botswana and its promulgation that its unconstitutional (HIV/AIDS). evictions of Basarwa were to integrate and ensure CKGR’s integrity was executed against strong opposition not only from Survival International. The government of LITERATURE REVIEW Botswana defied even appealing voices of dignitaries who wield significant political influence not only in the The Basarwa in Botswana are economically and continent, but at international level, such as Anglican politically marginalised. In many ways, Basarwa are at Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu of South Africa. The the bottom of the Botswana socio-economic system. government also ignored strong negations and appeals They exhibit some of the highest rates of infant mortality from the civil society in Botswana against its inexcusable alongside the lowest living standards and literacy rates, behaviour against politically and economically and in many cases have insecure access to land and disempowered Basarwa who were evicted from CKGR. resources. As with many minorities, Basarwa have had to Even after Basarwa were favoured by the verdict on a struggle against what they view as domination and case they took against the government of Botswana to discrimination from other groups and the nation state. the high court, the contumacious behaviour of the There were instances in which Basarwa were taken government of Botswana continues unrepentantly against forcibly from their homes and required to work for other Basarwa. Despite some of Basarwa having contracted people, often with little or no pay, and in some cases HIV, which causes AIDS, the government of Botswana physically mistreated (Hitchcock, 2002:798). It is still employs dehumanising tactics, such as depriving important to note that the then President of Botswana, Basarwa water from boreholes in CKGR, which further Mr. Festus Mogae, who led the country at the height of forces them to migrate into destinations where they are the eviction of Basarwa communities from CKGR was abused by members of the dominant groups. The denial acclaimed for his activism against HIV/AIDS, which of Basarwa indispensable necessities such as water means he was knowledgeable about the pandemic and renders them more vulnerable, since they are forced to the impact it would have on Basarwa when evicted accept sexual advances in exchange for water and other without any education programmes on the scourge. essentials. As this paper argues, the government of Botswana It does not come as a surprise that Sunday Telegraph, during the evictions of Basarwa from CKGR was aware of A British newspaper, stated that the government of the implications of such evictions on the health of Botswana is ethnically cleansing the San (Basarwa) in Basarwa communities, resulting from HIV/AIDS scourge. ways that would cause outrage if Botswana was not It is indisputable that the evictions of Basarwa from their prosperous, stable and pro-Western (Sunday Telegraph ancestral land, meaning CKGR, caused both political and as cited by Taylor and Mokhawa, 2003:277). It is the use economic disruptions, which evidently facilitated the of the word ‘cleansing’ in this aforementioned quotation spread of the deadly virus from those infected people, that make it relevant in an examination of ways by which who came into contact with Basarwa resulting from their ethnic cleansing of Basarwa was conducted by the Mosweunyane 77 government of Botswana. The view that the government as cited by Good, 1993:210). It is reasonable to blame of Botswana relied on HIV/AIDS as the most insidious this incident on violation of human rights that way of cleansing Basarwa though circumstantial, cannot characterised relations between Basarwa and members be simply quashed. by dominant groups on the powerless Basarwa many years before independence. It would be irrational to consider this case as an isolated act of brutality by an CKGR EVICTIONS AND DISRUPTION OF BASARWA individual Mongwato farmer. It is alleged that Masarwa LIFESTYLE DURING HIV/AIDS ERA and not Basarwa, as the worthless neologism formed by their oppressors dictates, were treated like slaves by the The evictions of Basarwa from CKGR by the Government Bangwato. They were compelled to herd the cattle and till of Botswana were conducted without consultation with the fields of their masters without pay, their children were Basarwa.

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